Spring Petals
by natsu-no-sora
Summary: "I'm... breaking up with you, Haruhi," Kyouya said quietly. The said girl froze. Her insides suddenly clenched together painfully and her racing heart dropped into her squeezed stomach. "Are you trying to play jokes on me, Kyouya?" She managed to say in a whisper. "No," he answered coldly. It sliced through her like a rusty knife.
1. Rusty Knife

"Right Here Waiting" Revised Edition 2013 © natsu_no_sora

**Ouran High School Host Club 2002 © Hatori Bisco**

I do not own anything. Support the mangaka by buying her works.

* * *

**:::**

**Chapter 01: Rusty Knife**

**:::**

"I'm... breaking up with you, Haruhi," Kyouya said quietly.

The said girl froze. Her insides suddenly clenched together painfully and her racing heart dropped into her squeezed stomach.

"I can't be with you anymore," he simply put, his beautiful face void of any emotion.

Haruhi blinked. "Are you trying to play jokes on me, Kyouya?" She managed to say in a whisper._ Yeah, maybe this is just one of his sick jokes. It must be._

"No," he answered coldly. It sliced through her like a rusty knife.

Silence was deafening in the huge music room. The sky outside became ominous. Thunder must be approaching.

The two lone figures stood face-to-face, neither of them spoke. But after a few more minutes of agonizing silence, Haruhi looked up to meet the cold eyes behind the eyeglasses.

Secret meetings. Fun dates. Sweet smiles. Fleeting touches. Meaningful glances. Passionate kisses.

All of those two years' worth of wonderful moments seemed to flash on his eyeglasses.

All of those two years' worth of wonderful moments were about to vanish.

"Is that what you really want?" She asked slowly.

Kyouya hesitated for just a beat of the heart but then, he nodded and said a very firm "yes."

Haruhi blinked as another set of dirty, rusty knives cut through her, dragging her heart down. The pain was unbearable. Her knees shook and her head felt like someone had pumped helium into it. But she forced herself not to look away from those calculating gray eyes.

"I want to ask you why... but I don't think I want to hear your answer," she fisted her hands on her sides to kept it from trembling. "If... if that's what you want, then I'm not going to force myself to you. Just-" her tiny voice cracked as she tried to suppress the wave of emotions that swirled inside her. "Just remember that I love you. And I always will."

She probably could've said something more but the rolling dark clouds seemed eager to produce thunders and she wanted to beat it home, especially now that she has to walk from school. Kyouya wouldn't send her home from now on. And she wouldn't like it if he would.

Sprinkle of salt in the wound? No, thanks.

Haruhi looked outside the glass window nervously. Kyouya followed her gaze and frowned. He wanted to say something more. Maybe apologize to her or at least offer her a ride home, just this last time. But Haruhi's quivering voice hastily said, "I-I should be going. Goodbye, Kyouya-s-senpai!"

That and she rushed out of the music room without looking back to see how miserable was the face of the shadow king.

_Thunderstorm,_ Kyouya thought bitterly. He pinched the bridge of his perfect nose. G_reat timing, Ootori Kyouya._

* * *

Haruhi reached her apartment in record time. As soon as she locked the front door, lightning cracked and thunder boomed. A merciless shiver ran down her spine. Every hair on her skin stood on its end. With forming tears in her eyes, she slid down onto the floor.

_I'm... breaking up with you, Haruhi._

_I can't be with you, anymore._

Lightning briefly illuminated the darkened apartment. Thunder sent her heart to the edge of break point.

On normal circumstances, Kyouya would be there to comfort her through her fear until it was gone. He would cradle her in his arms, whispering soothing words in her ear, caressing her hair and more frequently, kissing her.

"Stop. Please stop..." she sobbed as she pressed her hands against her ears. Her knees pushed tightly on her chest, like she was trying to curl into a very small ball.

_I'm... breaking up with you, Haruhi._

_I can't be with you, anymore._

Thunder shook the heavens.

"Please, stop it," she pleaded, whether to the thunder or to the painful words from Kyouya, she didn't know. Probably a mix of both.

Haruhi never felt so pathetically helpless in her entire life. The pain, it was worse than she ever experienced before. Even worse than the time her mother died. At least, she knew her mother is in a better place.

But this new pain, it was like clawing her deep down into dark, murky water. She was gasping for air and flailing her hands to desperately grab on something, but there simply emptiness. Nothing to hold on to.

Once again, lightning stroked followed closely by a clap of thunder. Then heavy rain poured down.

Haruhi remained in her upright fetal position on the floor. It could've been hours but she simply didn't move. She was afraid she might crumble down to pieces if she made any slight movement.

_It will subside. Just like everything else, it will subside. The pain will subside soon enough. It'll go away, just like everything else._ Haruhi took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart. Her muscles were aching and her legs were numb, urging her to stand and stretch.

Slowly, she uncurled herself and stood on her feet. Prickling blood flowed down her thighs. Her backbone snapped and she felt a little dizzy.

She didn't bother turning the lights on as she groped her way to the security of her blankets. She felt like if she turned the lights on, she would feel exposed.

She threw off her shoes and without taking off her socks or changing clothes for that matter, she exhaustedly slumped on her bed.

Hiding under the thick quilt, she completely resigned to the pain and cried silently.

Haruhi was never the weakling and the idea of crying over a stupid broken heart was just a shame.

But tonight, that was all she could do.

* * *

Waiting there in the pouring rain, outside her apartment, Haruhi never saw the black car that was parked there a few minutes after she arrived from school.

Ootori Kyouya glanced at his Blackberry, contemplating on calling the devastated girl situated just a few meters away from her, then focused again to the darkened window of her unit.

He was doing this little exercise since the thunderstorm hit: Dark window. Blackberry. A little tapping of finger on the steering wheel. Dark window. Blackberry. Dark window. _Shit._ Blackberry. _Damn, when will that window light up? What is she doing?_

Kyouya sighed for the nth time.

_Stupid! Of course you absolutely know what she's doing at this very moment; curled up in a ball and crying helplessly because of her astraphobia. Oh, and add your pretty cold break up with her this afternoon._ The annoying voice in his head admonished him teasingly.

"Shut up already..." he growled at the nonexistent voice owner. "It's for the best. It's for _her_ own best," he murmured.

_Is that what you really want?_

_If... if that's what you want, then I'm not going to force myself to you._

_Just remember that I love you. And I always will._

Kyouya shut his eyes tightly as her words replayed in his mind all over again. The words hit him with uncanny accuracy. But it wasn't from what she said that tore him apart; it was her eyes.

Haruhi's milk chocolate eyes, full of shock and _hurt._ Those hauntingly beautiful eyes that could see right through him; eyes that could see him for who he really was.

It was all it took to launch a dagger-like arrow. Straight to his heart, piercing through his soul. A bull's eye.

_I love you. And I always will._

"Shit!" He slammed his palm angrily against the steering wheel. It didn't do any harm to the expensive car but it certainly added another stinging pain on his hand. But it was nothing compare to the pain emanating from his chest.

How could she stand there, saying those words to him even after he coldly dismissed her? How could she say it so simple yet so sincere? How could she stand there, calming accepting his cruel words?

No. The real question was: how could _he_ do that to the only girl he ever loved in his life?

Kyouya breathed deeply to calm his anger. He opened his eyes, once again landing on the blurry frame of the dark window where Haruhi must be fighting her own set of demons that all looked like him.

He started the engine of his most inconspicuous car in his garage. He glanced back at his Blackberry then sighed again.

"It's for your best, Haruhi. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I love you more than you know. More than anyone could possibly know," he whispered.

One last look at the window and then he was gone.

* * *

The rain continued to pour down like gray sheets, mirroring the suffocating emotions that surged through the divided couple.

**:::**

**01/03/13 OWARI**

**:::**

SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:

Just as promised!

This is the revised edition of my original KyoHaru story, "Right Here Waiting". I improved the grammar, spellings and other mistakes I made from the previous one. I also changed the title, hehe!

I tried to minimize the OOCness but I guess in writing a KyoHaru fic, you cannot really apply their canon characters, especially if it's a little angst and drama. I hope you understand.

Thank you for giving my story a try. Please stick with me until the end, sarabaja~!


	2. Thank You

"Right Here Waiting" Revised Edition 2013 © natsu_no_sora

**Ouran High School Host Club 2002 © Hatori Bisco**

I do not own anything. Support the mangaka by buying her works.

* * *

**:::**

**Chapter 02: Thank you**

**:::**

"The choice will still be yours, of course. It's a great opportunity but it will be a very big step towards your future. I will give you one week to think about this, Haruhi. Discuss this with your father. Weigh the pros and the cons thoroughly."

The chairman of the prestigious Ouran High School watched his special student with equally special interest.

"Yes, sir. I will think about this offer," Haruhi replied politely.

The elder man smiled at her fondly. "Make the right decision, my dear. You may go now."

Haruhi nodded and bowed respectfully, "thank you very much, sir."

Once she was outside the office, she let out a long, steady breath that she didn't know she'd been holding. She walked slowly away as her mind replayed the conversation between her and the chairman.

_Full scholarship in a famous school in America?_ Haruhi couldn't believe that she was chosen. But then again, she was the _only _scholar student in Ouran. Everybody else in this school was a rich bastard; they can afford to study in such universities.

For Haruhi, she didn't need to think about it. It was an opportunity she cannot overlook. She wanted to say "yes!" at the moment the chairman told her the good news. But the old man had a point; she had to think about it. There's her dad to talk about with.

And in the very back of her mind, there's a certain shadow she wanted to speak _clearly _with.

Haruhi's head snapped up at the sudden thought. Shadow. Shadow King. Host Club. Debt.

_Shit, I'm late! _The petite girl in male's uniform bolted through the hallway as fast as she could.

_Oh, God. Would Kyouya harass me again with my tab, now that he broken up with me?_ She slowed down for a moment as iron-strong hands squeezed her heart. She shook her head and ignored the pain.  
_  
__Possibly, _she answered her own question and ran like hell towards the next building, to the third floor's music room.

* * *

The host club had finished their work for the day and had bid their overly exaggerated goodbye to their last customer. Still, no Fujioka Haruhi appeared.

_Where is she?_ Kyouya adjusted his glass up his nose and opened his laptop. He started tapping on keyboard but his mind kept floating away. _Is she avoiding me? Or did something happen?_

His long fingers paused as the thought hit him. _No, _he tried to push the scary thought aside.

"Where's Haruhi? Why didn't she attend the club today? Did something happen?" A particularly loud creature mirrored Kyouya's thoughts.

"Why're you looking at us like that?" The twins asked indignantly as the blonde king shot them accusatory glares. Then all of a sudden, he jumped on them, grabbing each of their uniform collars.

"Tell me where you take her!" He hissed.

Even Ootori Kyouya, who is _supposed _to be used to their antics, pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Are you accusing us of kidnapping Haruhi?"

"You two are devils. Where did you take her?! Answer me!" Tamaki shook them with brutal force they didn't know he was capable of.

"What the hell - let go, you stupid dumb ass!" The twins struggled from his metal grip.

"You're ruining my shirt!"

"I'm going to kill you if anything happens to my daughter. Do you understand?!" The crazy king warned.

"No shit, Sherlock!"

"Why you little - "

_BLAM!_

Everyone in the third floor music room froze. They whipped their head towards the direction of the banging sound just in time to see Haruhi dove on the solid floor.

A beat passed in absolute stillness and silence.

"Ow..." then came a helpless moan from her.

"Haruhi!" Tamaki immediately released his two captives and rushed to help her. The twins followed him while Kyouya stood, his laptop forgotten, but he held his distance.

"That's a nice way to announce your arrival, Haruhi," Kaoru teased. Hikaru chuckled and helped her up.

"Oh, shut up," she glared.

"Are you alright? Does it hurt?" The blonde head frantically ushered her to the sofa. She sat obligately and rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine. It's nothi - OUCH!" She yelped when a hand draped over her knee with heavy pressure. "What the hell was that for?!" She snapped.

Haruhi's eyes widened a fraction as she realized it was Kyouya. His hand covered her kneecap and gripping it a little too hard. Without saying a word, he slid down on the floor in front of her and grabbed the right leg hem of her pants.

"W-what are you doing?" She stuttered.

He pulled fabric up to reveal her swelling knee. She winced at it and sheepishly looked down at her fingers. Trust her to downsize everything.

"Just as I thought," Kyouya mumbled. He clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

"Ooohh, you got a nasty bruise there, Haruhi," Kaoru and Hikaru chorused. They leaned over her shoulders and squeezed her.

"What? What is it?" Tamaki tried to peek between the red heads of the twins.

"It's just a simple bruise. Nothing serious. Now, will you get off me? You're heavy!" She wriggled out of their weights.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, will you run to the nurse's office for a first aid kit? The one in the back room is empty," Kyouya ordered.

"Yes, sir!" They saluted and ran out.

Haruhi and Kyouya remained silent as they shyly avoided each other's eyes. With him still on the floor and now lightly touching her severed skin, it took _a lot _of effort on Haruhi's part not to capture his hand in hers and feel his warmth again.

"WHAT?!"

Haruhi and Kyouya jolted in surprise at the sudden outburst of the king. They blinked at him as he shouted to his phone.

"Why didn't you say earlier?! Oh, God, I'm late! Grandma is going to kill me!" He wailed and started making a blonde tornado across the room while retrieving his things.

He snapped his phone shut. He looked very funny at his distressed state, Haruhi noticed with a suppressed smile.

"I need to go now. There's this important business my grandma wants me to attend and I'm late! Kyouya, will you watch after our daughter? Make sure she arrives home safely! Sorry, Haruhi, daddy wants to drive you home but I'm late! I'll make it up to you tomorrow, I promise!" His voice faded out as he sprinted off hastily.

The silence was familiar for the two persons left in the room. Familiar but a whole lot different.

"Idiot," Kyouya muttered. Though he didn't know which made him an idiot: for forgetting about the business or for leaving him alone with Haruhi. Maybe the latter. Or maybe he was just born an idiot.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw her fiddling with her fingers. A known gesture of nervousness. He pushed himself off the floor and walked to his abandoned laptop, avoiding her child-like face that haunted him last night. He was afraid that one look on her, his defenses would crumble and he would be down on his knees again, begging for her forgiveness.

Haruhi didn't know what to do. Or to say. This was so awkward. Why the hell did they end up alone, anyway? She watched him frowned, stood up and then walked away from her.

"Kyouya..." his name slipped off her tongue before she could bite it.

"Yes?" He responded calmly without looking at her. But his heart made a little tap dance from hearing her voice.

There was a long silent gap. Kyouya, feeling an overwhelming anticipation, forced to turn his head and looked at her.

_Man up, Haruhi! You can do it,_ she cheered for herself. _This is your chance to talk to him._

Haruhi took a deep breath, her face was impassive. But her eyes were burning as she looked back at him steadily. "Why?" She asked softly. She didn't want to ask but she _needed_to know. Even if it ripped her up all over again. Better to know now than to live the rest of her miserable life not knowing why the hell he broke up with her.

Kyouya immediately knew what she meant. And it was like a nice kick in his gut. "It's for the best, Haruhi," he answered, just like what he had practiced.

"That's not an answer."

He paused and sighed. Of course, it's not. Not to her, anyway. He should've known. This was Haruhi they were talking about, after all. When she asked for an answer, you give her an answer. He adjusted his spectacles, making an excuse to veer off his eyes from her.

"Look me in the eyes and answer me," she said with strong resolve.

"Haruhi," he said exasperatedly. He did as he told and stared into her milk chocolate eyes. "I'm doing this for the both of us. For you. Graduation is in a few days and separation is inevitable. We might as well stop this while we still can and save us both the trouble. Our world is already light years apart, even before. And it'll just keep on drifting apart if we continue. And while the host club isn't aware... it's better off this way." His voice faded out.

Silence. The whole room stilled, like they were bracing for her reaction.

"Did you enjoy the times you were with me?" She finally found her voice.

His stomach clenched in a strange way. "Yes," he answered truthfully.

"If I were to go away, will you miss me?"

_What? Of course, I will. I'm missing you right now. Where is she going with this? _He ran a hand through his raven locks, "Haruhi, what kind of-"

"Did you love me, Kyouya?"

The question caught him off guard. It rendered him speechless with hammering heart. Her eyes that stared intently at him, waiting for yet another answer, was making his skin prickled. He swallowed, "maybe at one point, I _did_ love you_." Did? No, I love you. Even now. Even tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. Until forever, Haruhi. I'm sorry.__  
_  
Lying has been one of his talents. But this one was tricky, especially when it was Haruhi. She's always been the only person in the world that can see right through him. Tamaki could not compare to her despite him being his best friend. Not even his own sister. Not even himself.

He was half-expecting Haruhi to slap him and call him a freaking liar for playing heartbreaking games with her. But then again, he wouldn't be in love with this girl if she does exactly what he thinks. Of course, the name Fujioka Haruhi is always attached to the word _surprise._

She just stood there, not a hint of pain or hurt in her beautiful face. She even had the guts to give him a sweet smile that almost melt his ice wall away. She took a deep breath and closed the distance between them in a hug.

Kyouya was dumb struck. The bursting feeling from her touch was enough to completely shut down his logical mind. He was hypnotized. His own arms seemed to have a mind of their own as he returned her hug.

"Just this time, Kyouya. Let me feel this warmth again. Let me go back to that one point when you loved me," Haruhi murmured against the crook of his neck. Her emotions coating her words and constricting her throat.

Realizing that this might be the last time he could ever hold her, Kyouya tightened his grip around her. He kissed her hair, like he usually does, and tried to memorize her fragrance.

It might have been minutes, but sooner than he would want to let go, Haruhi gently pulled away and looked at him calmly. "Thank you for everything, Kyouya. I know you're doing this because it's the right thing to do. I understand," she whispered. "Always know that I love you."

"Haruhi..."

A strangled whisper was lost when she turned on her heels and walked out the door without a single backward glance.

**:::**

**01/08/13 OWARI**

**:::**

SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:

I don't really have something to ramble on because I'm hungry. LOL!

Oh, actually, I do have. First is about their massive OOCness, which is really inevitable. Second is the overlooked mistakes, I'm sorry about that.

Third is, if you find this story super cheesy, ugly and doesn't meet your high story standards, well... just go away and leave the hell out of here. Seriously, I'm not a professional writer. This is just a product of my overly active imagination and my love for writing.

Anyway, I realized that I haven't been able to say thank you for supporting the previous version of this story. So on behalf of "Right Here Waiting", I thank you for reading, reviewing, following and favoriting ! I appreciate it very much.

I hope you continue your wonderful support to this revised version, thank you!


	3. Vital Decisions

"Right Here Waiting" Revised Edition 2013 © natsu_no_sora

**Ouran High School Host Club 2002 © Hatori Bisco**

I do not own anything. Support the mangaka by buying her works.

* * *

**:::**

**Chapter 03: Vital Decisions**

**:::****  
**

With shaking legs and forming huge lump in her throat, Fujioka Haruhi gripped the staircase railing with both hands for dear life as the adrenaline in her system died down.

She felt like floating so high at the same time plummeting through a free fall. Her head and heart simultaneously pounded. But she refused to cry. She'd done that already.

She closed her eyes briefly and took a very deep breath. _I can do this, _she thought. She snapped her eyes open and had not been for her aching knee, she probably sprinted off to the gates of Ouran High School.

* * *

Kyouya removed his eyeglasses, shut his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth.

_You are so fucked up, Kyouya, _he thought remorsefully. He couldn't understand the swirling emotions that burst inside him painfully. He wanted Haruhi so bad yet he was building a cold block of thick walls between them. When had he become a masochist?

All these feelings were making him doubt his decision to end their intimate relationship. But whenever he felt himself slipping dangerously close to her, his inner demon reminded him of what made him break up with her in the first place.

The only thing that kept him from reaching out to her was the fact that his father, the powerful Ootori Yoshio, warned him about getting himself too concern with her.

Kyouya was not the one to be threatened, especially not by his father. He finally found a reason to live and he wasn't about to let her go without a fight.

But then, Ootori Yoshio resorted to his usual way of dealing things: he _vowed _to destroy Haruhi. With sinking heart, Kyouya knew his father has every bit of power to bring his opponent down.

It was a trap card.

Kyouya had nowhere else to go. He wasn't going to take any chances when it comes to Haruhi. He knew when to fight for her. And hell, he would _fight_ for her. But he also knew when to put down his offense and build his defense for her sake. Even if it means breaking her heart.

For Kyouya, it was better to break her heart than to shatter her dreams.

Broken heart mends. Shattered dreams cannot; the monster that'll smash it will make sure of that.

Haruhi was ambitious. She had goals and priorities set up higher than him, he knew that. He always knew that. And that was one of the million things he loved about her.

Kyouya let out a defeated sigh and massaged his temple. He could feel the mother of all headaches coming to knock on his skull.

* * *

Haruhi mechanically opened the door to her apartment. The earlier confrontation with Kyouya kept on playing in her head.

"Oh, welcome back, Haruhi!" A squealing voice snapped her out of her reverie.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" She didn't mean to sound rude but she did anyway. Her dad winced dramatically.

"What, don't you want me around?" he pouted.

"No, it's not that! I mean, why aren't you at work? I thought you're on night shift? It's already passed 5, you'll be late."

"My shift starts at 8 tonight. I'm going to cook your favorites because I want to have dinner with my cute daughter. Go change clothes and just relax, okay?" With a pinch on her nose, her dad turned his attention to the TV.

Haruhi went into her room and sagged on her bed. Lately, the things happening around her were sucking her energy.

With a deep sigh, she laid flat on her back and stared at the ceiling. She stretched her hands upward, stared at it like it was most fascinating thing in the world as she curled and uncurled her fingers.

Memories flickered in her mind. Memories too precious to let go, too painful to remember. It was like a guilty pleasure to her. Now it was coming back to haunt her. To torment her.

_Alright, according to Susan J. Elliot, there are three phases of breakup grief, _Haruhi thought. She needed a help through this and science approach seemed the best. She was a scholar, after all. _First is, Shock or Disbelief._

Another memory pierced through her: _Are you trying playing joke on me, Kyouya?_

The day he broken up with her. She remembered that all too well.

_Yeah, that's right. I'm passed the shock now. The second is, Review and Painful Relinquishment-_ she choked. _This must be it; _she grimaced when her heart dipped low in her stomach.

_And then the last one is, Acceptance._

The thought made her pause. Acceptance? Was she ready to accept that everything between her and the only guy she fell in love with was over and done? Was she ready to let go?

With pounding heart and wide eyes, Haruhi sat up slowly. She hardly blinked as she realized that, it was time to move on. Whether she liked it or not, life goes on and time won't be waiting for her.

She had to let go, no matter how hard it is.  
_  
__Knock! Knock!_

"Haruhi, honey? Dinner's ready!" Her dad's voiced resonated through her closed door.

Haruhi jolted back to reality. _What? Dinner already? Time sure flies like a blur._

"Coming, dad!" She heaved herself off the bed with a sigh. She changed into comfortable sweat pants and fitted tank top. Whoever said she's flat chested, definitely haven't seen her in that sexy racer back.

"Oh, Haruhi! Sit down, sit down! Let's eat." An over-excited Ranka pulled her down to the floor.

The food was okay, which was a surprise since her dad wasn't exactly in good terms with their stove.

"How is it? Is it yummy?" He inquired enthusiastically.

"It's okay," she answered quietly.

Ranka's smile faded slightly as he eyed his daughter. One look at her, he knew something's bothering her.

"Is there something you want to talk about?"

"Huh?" Haruhi looked up to see Ranka's Dad Mode activated.

"Is everything alright?"  
_  
__No, dad. _She wanted to say. She put down her chopsticks and swallowed. This was a perfect timing to talk to him. "Dad..."

"What is it?" He stared at her in anticipation.

"Ouran is offering me a full scholarship abroad," she said. Okay, that wasn't what she wanted to say.

Ranka frowned; full scholarship abroad? That was good news, wasn't it? Why the somber face?

Haruhi continued, "I've been thinking of accepting it-"

"Of course, you should accept it! Why are you hesitating?" He said incredulously. "It's a great opportunity that I can't give you, honey. I know it's hard to study abroad but you can do it! You're brave and smart and I'm not telling you this because I'm your father but because it's the truth. I will support and cheer for you even if you're thousand miles away," he smiled.

"Thanks, dad," Haruhi allowed a small smile. But the somber look on her face didn't go away.

"Is there something more that you're not telling me?" He prompted.

She sighed exhaustedly.

The man took his daughter's hand. "You know you can tell me anything. Is the scholarship putting you under heavy pressure? Is there a problem in the host club? Did you have a fight with Kyouya again?"

The sudden grimace that flashed across her childish face was enough for Ranka to know that he hit the right spot.

_Bingo, _he thought. He had been fairly aware of their relationship since two years ago. He simply adored Kyouya and for him, there's no better man for his daughter than the young Ootori.

Ranka now understood her crestfallen expression. This wasn't the first time the couple had a fight. Come to think of it, they were always fighting about silly things and whatnots. But this one, he knew it was serious.

He exhaled, "What is it this time?"

Haruhi bit her lip. She felt like she was about to confess to a crime. She pulled away her hands from his father's grip and began fiddling with her fingers, avoiding his gaze.

Ranka narrowed his eyes at her, "Tell me, did he drag you again to that fancy restaurant you despise? Please, Haruhi, it's just a restaurant! You should be used to it by now-"

"Kyouya broke up with me, dad," she cut him off.

Ranka was stunned shock as he stared at her open-mouthed. "What?" He managed to utter in a hush whisper.

Haruhi fisted her hands tightly her knuckle bones became prominent. "He said he can't be with me anymore. He said our worlds were just drifting farther and farther apart," she explained in a small quivering voice.

Ranka exploded. "That's bullshit, Haruhi!" The girl flinched. "Do you honestly believe what that idiot said?"

He took Haruhi's silence as an affirmative answer. "Oh my god, and here I thought you were smart. Seriously, Haruhi, that guy's all gooey eyes on you! He must have a reason for breaking up with you. Something big. Why don't you two talk?"

"I don't know..." she mumbled. With the way he spoke to her this afternoon, she didn't know how to approach him anymore.

"Try," he insisted.

She inwardly sighed and nodded for the sake of her father's peace of mind.

"Tell me more about this scholarship," he asked after a few muted minutes.

"Chairman Suoh recommended me to a university in America. He submitted my grades and the school was impressed-"

"They should be," he interjected.

Rolling her eyes, Haruhi continued, "It's a full scholarship package; everything from living expenses to tuitions and school expenses will be provided. There'll also be an apartment unit to stay in."

"Ooohhhh, that's awesome! Go for it, my darling Haruhi! Daddy's here to cheer on you!" He exclaimed proudly.

Haruhi smiled. "Thank you," she said gratefully.

As they ate their dinner, her mind was swimming. She didn't know what to think anymore, or what to feel. There was definitely the _hurt _from Kyouya's cold treatment. There was the resolve of Susan J. Elliot's third phase of breakup; the Acceptance. There was also the confusion as to whether or not he really wanted to break up with her. She thought of what her dad said.

_He must have a reason for breaking up with you. Something big._

A small part of her agreed. Maybe, he was right. Maybe Kyouya was really hiding something. She needed to find out. She _must _find out.

But how do you extract an answer from the shadow king? Now, that's a bigger question.

**:::**

**01/17/13 OWARI**

**:::**

SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:

Hey, there. Thank you for dropping by! I hope you like my update :)

Major OOCness, I know. Grammatical errors and other mistakes, sorry about that. Please excuse my imperfection m(_ _)m

Please continue to support "Spring Petals" until the end.

Sarabaja~!


	4. One Last Look

"Right Here Waiting" Revised Edition 2013 © natsu_no_sora

**Ouran High School Host Club 2002 © Hatori Bisco**

I do not own anything. Support the mangaka by buying her works.

* * *

**:::**

**Chapter 04: One Last Look**

**:::**

The graduation of the seniors had ended.

It came and went in a daze for Haruhi. She could not believe that Kyouya and Tamaki were finally graduating. Only the three of them, she and the twins, remained in the host club. Will the host club still be able to continue? She wondered vaguely on how they would manage, now that the founders had graduated.

But it seemed that her friends were less concerned for the future of the host club as they busily fumbled around her; putting making up on her face and fixing her dress. She was disguised as a girl [duh?], just like in every party they had attended.

"Guys, don't overdo it, please," she said as she tried to sit still.

"Don't worry. We know what best suits you, just leave it to us," Kaoru grinned. He put down a make-up brush and inspected her face like a cynic.

"With this dress, you can wear doll shoes rather than high heels," Hikaru explained. He was adjusting the frilly skirt high on her waist. "We made it like this because we know how clumsy and robotic you are when wearing heels."

"Gee, thanks," she rolled her eyes but she was grateful. She didn't hate wearing heels but her feet just didn't get along with those.

"Here," Hikaru threw her a box of shoes. She caught it before it hit her face. She opened it and a pair of white ballerina flats greeted her. Both had a huge pink bow on top that match the soft pink color of the dress the twins made her wear. Or more like, _forced _her to wear.

"I feel like wearing a pastry," she muttered. She slipped the shoes and find it very comfortable, like cushions to her soles.

The host club had been invited to Kyouya's graduation party in Ootori Mansion. Of course, they were invited. They were Kyouya's friends, after all. That was the main reason why she was currently suffering in the hands of the Hitachiin brothers.

The twins generously or sadistically, depend on how you look at things, made efforts to kidnap her and brought her to their mansion to play dress-up.

They were almost done, just patching up a few loose details and they were ready to go.

"Not bad," Kaoru commented with a smirk as she stood up from hours of sitting on the high chair in the twins' closet.

Haruhi, sporting an exclusively designed cocktail dress with flaring skirt, looked exasperated. But she had to admit, the twins did a nice job to her hair and make-up. Actually, it was a wig that looked exactly like her old hairstyle in middle school. Hikaru curled it while Kaoru did a light make-up that brought out youthfulness on her rather than looking mature.

"We're all set."

They took her arms cheerfully and led her out of the mansion. It was a few minutes after seven in the evening and they were running a bit late for the party.

The moment they were inside the limo, Haruhi's gut began churning.

All day, she'd been thinking of how to hi-jack the shadow king and have a talk with him, preferably in coherent sentences and not monosyllabic conversation.

The car moved quietly and steadily. But somehow, it made Haruhi more nervous. The twins were both deep in their own thoughts and were unusually quiet, which didn't help her at all.

She felt something wasn't right, like something's about to go wrong. Her brain told her to stop the car, get out and go home; screw the damn party. But her stubborn heart urged her to go on and see Kyouya. Maybe she can snatch him some time in the party.

Her heart increased its beating and she nearly backed out. But it was too late; the car stopped and they were already in front of a majestic white mansion.

"Oh, this is going to be fun!" Hikaru said as he got out of the car. Haruhi wished she could say that, too. He assisted her and she mumbled her thanks. Kaoru followed closely behind.

They didn't go inside the white washed double doors like she expected. The twins ushered her towards the side of the mansion where the dirt path was lit on the ground by small lamps which emanated pretty soft glows. It went all the way down to a garden. An insanely _huge _garden.

_Damn rich bastard._

Haruhi could only hang her mouth as she took in the sight.

The garden was beautiful, like a paradise on earth. Glowing lanterns scattered around, illuminating the party in brilliant lights. Canopies bloomed overhead and coffee tables where set up neatly.

The guests were busy socializing in quiet buzzing chatters which eventually faded as soon as they noticed the arrival of the latecomers.

There were prominent business personalities and some celebrities present in the party but all of them turned their heads to the gorgeous petite girl clad in a simple dress, yet somehow, she managed to look stunning.

She was young and the way her eyes flashed, they knew she was intelligent. But the way she shifted slightly and unconsciously cringed closer to one of the twins, they knew she was shy and innocent. Nevertheless, the ambient coming from her was like a magnet that pulled the audience toward her.

She was the princess every party has; the fairest of them all.

Haruhi's cheeks heated up; she realized all eyes were on her. She took a deep breath and held on to Hikaru's sleeve. They walked on, ignoring the glances.

"You're late." A blonde guy in a dashing black tuxedo said, crossing his arms with a look of displease.

"Ah, Tono!" The twins greeted him.

"Why are you late? Where's Haru-" Tamaki choked as his eyes fell upon the girl of his fantasies.

"Good evening, senpai." Haruhi gave him an innocent smile that nearly sent the blonde's brain to spontaneous combustion.

"H-Haruhi!" He blushed from the roots of his hair down to his neck.

"Congratulations on your graduation," she said.

"Oh. Uh..." he cleared his throat, trying to maintain his composure, and he transformed into his Prince Charming mode. He took her hand and kissed it earnestly. "Thank you, my beautiful lady."

Haruhi, who was used to all his antics, suppressed her eyes from rolling.

"Would you like a drink, my lady?" Tamaki asked softly, just like the way he hosted to his clients.

"I like that," she answered with another smile. She decided to humor him to prevent unnecessary drama, which would definitely attract attention to them.

Tamaki offered his arm and she looped her skinny arm obligatorily. Before turning away from the twins, the king shot them a look that probably said: _Damn you! Why did you make her too pretty?!_

The little devils only had identical smug smirks.

The friendly couple arrived at a table where two familiar figures were sitting.

"Haru-chan?" The smaller person looked up from eating his cake.

"Hunny-senpai, it's nice to see you!" Haruhi smiled widely as she recognized him. Hunny-senpai jumped off the couch and gave her a choking bear hug.

"Haru-chan! Haru-chan! You're so cute!" He squealed like a delighted baby.

"Thank you," she replied once he released her throat. "Ah, Mori-senpai! It's nice to see you, too." She smiled at the quiet giant.

Mori-senpai gave her a rare smile and nodded in acknowledgement.

They sat around the table and they were joined by the twins a few moments later. They were immersed in casual conversations when a certain cold presence brought a shiver down Haruhi's almost bare back.

She knew it even before she turned her head to look. It was the presence her body grew accustomed to, like every fiber of her body had memorized that particular presence and it was right there behind her.

"Kyouya! How're you doing?" Tamaki beamed at his best friend.

"I'm fine," his cool voice sounded tired. Haruhi resisted the urge to look behind her as she tried to calm her suddenly-chaotic heart.

"Congratulations on your graduation, senpai!" The twin chorused.

"Thank you," he said it like a boring mantra.

"Kyo-chan, have you seen Haru-chan already? Look, look! She's super cute!"

And that comment from the little guy made a strong tug in his heart. No, he hadn't seen Haruhi all day. He was sure she was there at the graduation ceremony but he hadn't seen her in the ocean of people.

Haruhi froze for a split second. She didn't want to be rude so she turned her head and couldn't help but looked into the mystic gray eyes of one Ootori Kyouya.

"Good evening, senpai. Congratulations on your graduation," she smiled shyly; the smile that could melt through anything.

The fatigue from the day's event and from the on-going party's constant demand of attention, Kyouya's head was beginning to pound and his patience were almost burned out. But that small, sincere smile from her seemed to wash it all away and revitalize him magically.

Hunny-senpai was wrong. Haruhi wasn't cute. She was drop dead gorgeous. Kyouya stared into her angelic face, wondering why the hell he broke up with her. But then again, his inner demon was there to remind him why.

He cleared his throat quietly. "Thank you, Haruhi. You look beautiful tonight," he said coolly.

The instinct to pinch her cheeks when she blushed was so overwhelming he had to put his hands in his pocket to prevent it from traveling towards her cheeks. Damn, it was a habit very hard to erase from his system.

"Join us, Kyouya!" Tamaki pulled him over and he plopped down on the empty seat beside Haruhi.

_What a tough luck, _he inwardly grimaced. Not that he didn't want to sit beside her; it's what he might _do _to her that worries him. He might unconsciously hold her hand...

Haruhi swallowed. Why did it have to be beside her? But then, she remembered her father's nagging voice: _He must have a reason for breaking up with you. Something big._

Some force was really pushing it. She took a glass of fresh juice and pushed it to Kyouya's direction without saying anything.

The bespectacled guy glanced at her. "Thanks," he muttered. He began fiddling with glass absentmindedly; feeling the cold moist in his palm, while watching his friends talked. He tried refusing to acknowledge the petite girl beside him for the sake of his sanity. But Haruhi was simply _very hard_ to ignore.

Kyouya sighed in defeat and turned to her casually. "How are you?" He asked in a low voice.

Haruhi almost jumped in her sit. He sounded like _her_ Kyouya, not the Shadow King Kyouya. She blinked then smiled, "I'm fine."

He nodded. "The dress suits you," he said which he immediately regretted as Haruhi blushed again. His hand was itching to touch her warm cheeks.

"The twins made it," she mumbled.

He nodded again. _Well, that's to be expected._

The rest of gang was too preoccupied to notice anything unusual between the two.

This wasn't the ideal place Haruhi preferred for her and Kyouya to talk. It was too risky. But this was probably the best she could get. Her friends were too busy blubbering and no one's paying attention to them. They could talk for a few minutes.

Gathering all her courage, Haruhi took a deep breath. "Kyouya... what happened to us?" Her voice was the softiest cotton.

Kyouya felt the two thin strings that held an avalanche of his emotions threatening to snap from hearing those words.

She didn't look at him like he was. He wanted to take her hand in his under the table so badly, just like they used to whenever they find themselves in boring parties.

_What happened to us? _He didn't know, anymore.

"I know I said I won't force myself to you. But what we have - _had_ was too precious for me to let go. At least, not yet." Haruhi finally met his eyes. Her heart was nowhere near calm but she got to do this.

"Haruhi," he started. But apparently, she still got something to say.

"You said you enjoyed the times you were with me. I, too, I enjoyed it so much. You said at one point in our messed up relationship, you did love me," she paused and sighed. "Sometimes I can't read you, Kyouya. You suddenly gone cold and start building walls I can't break through. But you know what?" She looked at him expectantly.

Kyouya could only stare at her. The avalanche he was keeping at bay rolled freely over him and he could hardly blink.

She continued, "I learned the meaning of love from you, not from the dictionary. Call me too assuming, but what you showed me was not something at _one point,_ it was the _whole point._ How many times did we desperately hide our relationship to keep from it crumbling? How many times did you held me in your arms? How many times did you say you love me? It was not at _one point, _was it?" Haruhi's milk chocolate eyes burned into his gray ones. "The relationship we had was not a lie. I know you know it. I've seen it your eyes the whole time."

Everything she said was worth a thousand stabs to his heart. She knew where to hit the right spot.

"Our worlds are light years apart. But it's not a valid reason for a certain Ootori Kyouya to give up now, is it? He isn't called a Shadow King for nothing," Haruhi smiled. She searched his eyes behind the glasses and said, "There's a deeper reason why you broke up with me."

Kyouya mentally smacked his head. He dreaded this moment. Of course, Haruhi knew. She wasn't dumb. But he didn't anticipate this to be so soon. He looked at her with an expression of: _please don't make this harder for me than it is._

"Tell me," she insisted softly with that cute worried face of hers.

Kyouya was left hanging on by a thread and a choice: to tell her the truth or to lie again. But one look at her innocent face, he didn't know if he can slip another lie. _God, why do I have to fell in love with this irresistible woman? _He mentally face-palmed.

He wanted her and it was obviously clear that she wanted him, too. If he tells her the truth, she will surely put up a fight for them. But what about his father's threat? What about her dreams? Then again, what about _them_? Kyouya's mind was going haywire. He didn't know what to do. This was probably the biggest rip-your-hair-off dilemma he'd ever face.

For a moment, he battled with his mind and heart, between what is right (in his father's eyes) and what they both want. Then with unexplained bubbling anger, he thought: _Fuck this!_

He threw away all his logical thinking and took Haruhi's hand. Finally, _finally,_ he could feel her soft, warm hand again. And he wasn't about to let it go ever again. To hell with his father. He didn't care anymore; as long as Haruhi's safe in his arms.

Haruhi flinched in surprise. Kyouya's hand was warm and it sent a jolt of electricity to her hypersensitive skin. It felt nice and she missed it. His eyes were smoldering liquid silver as he stared into her eyes, as casual as possible; their friends were just a foot away. Her breathing unconsciously became faster. She stared back him, anticipating and fearing his answer.

"Haruhi, I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I'm so sorry, I-"

"There you are, Kyouya." A cold, menacing voice cut him off.

All of the occupants on the table stopped talking at once and looked. Kyouya and Haruhi dropped their hands reluctantly.

Ootori Yoshio stood there with all his glory and power. Though he was smiling, it was sinister. Haruhi's arms suddenly had a goose bump attack.

The host club greeted him politely.

"I trust you're having a good time," he said. His eyes landed on Haruhi. "Ah, you must be the special student Fujioka Haruhi, it's nice to finally meet you. I've been hearing a lot of-"

Kyouya forcefully cleared his throat, "Do you need me for something, Father?" He asked politely but fiercely. He stepped up, purposely blocking Haruhi from his father's line of vision.

"Yes, yes," Yoshio smirked then turned to the hosts, "Do you mind if I borrow Kyouya for a moment?"

"No, of course not, sir! Busy men we are, aren't we?" Tamaki said.

"Do enjoy the night, gentlemen. Lady," he nodded to Haruhi, who bowed awkwardly in her sit.

Yoshio motioned his son to follow and walked away. Kyouya sighed exasperatedly. He waved dismissively to his friends and gave Haruhi his familiar we'll-talk-later look, then he followed his father.

Haruhi stared at his retreating back with a confused look. _What's with heavy atmosphere? s_he thought.

* * *

About half an hour later, the mini stage lit up. Yoshio stood there with his ever-present smug. All the guests turned to look.

"Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for coming tonight," he said. "As you may all know, my youngest son, Ootori Kyouya has graduated from high school. I expected him to be on top of his class just like his brothers and I'm glad he didn't let me down," he paused.

For some reasons, something in the way he talked drew all attentions to him, even the host club listened as he rambled on about business claptrap and other whatnots. He had that power of speech, like Hitler. Haruhi shivered.

"...may I call on the lovely Suzuki Mayu-san and Kyouya," he was saying.

A few meters away from Haruhi, Kyouya was caught in mild surprise when his father called him. What does he want? And who the hell was Suzuki Mayu?

With slight hesitation, he walked to the stage. He almost bumped to this pretty girl with unnatural light brown hair dressed in a shimmering silver nightgown. He assumed she was Suzuki Mayu.

For the sake of being a host and an Ootori, he held out his hand and assisted her up the stage. She smiled hesitantly at him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Kyouya," his father said once they were both standing on stage. "This young lady here is the only daughter of famous Suzuki Medical Enterprises based in Fukuoka. She is currently in her junior high school..." he continued on with the girl's background but Kyouya wasn't listening.

His heart went tumbling down as realization hit him hard. He knew what his father was about to do. _No,_ he thought desperately.

"...In our business world, it is not uncommon to engage our children in fixed marriage, is it?" He looked at Kyouya with those cold, calculating eyes he inherited from him.

Kyouya looked back with rebel. _This wasn't part of the deal!_ he wanted to say. But his maddening anger threatened to spill uncontrollably if he as much as to open his mouth. He tried very hard to keep his cool.

"That being said, I want to make it straight to the point. An engagement party will be held next month for the union of Ootori Corporation with Suzuki Medical Enterprises," his father said nonchalantly, like it was such an insignificant thing.

Kyouya instinctively looked at Mayu, who had an award-winning disbelief on her pretty face. She looked like somebody just scandalized her. Her dark eyes were wide and were flashing with the same anger he felt. A surged of relief flooded through him; at least, he wasn't the only one to seemingly object.

Then, a sudden ice-cold lump formed in his stomach as he remembered Haruhi. His eyes strained as he searched the crowd frantically.

But Haruhi was no longer there.

* * *

Haruhi was now _really _glad the twins made her wear flat shoes, so she can ran away from the party faster.

_...it is not uncommon to engage our children in fixed marriage..._

_Suzuki Mayu... only daughter of famous Suzuki Medical Enterprises based in Fukuoka..._

She was beautiful and elegant. She came from a high-class family. She was someone who can stand alongside Kyouya with confidence. She was nothing like her, a commoner. For the first time, Haruhi hated being poor.

_...an engagement party will be held..._

Haruhi didn't stay long to hear the rest. She needed to get out of there. She bolted from the garden silently; tracing the path they took earlier and found herself in the front lawn, away from the party. Her knees buckled and she had to lean on a cherry blossom tree for support. Her eyes prickled and no matter how hard she tried not to cry, tears spilled down her cheeks.

_Damn it, stop crying! _She scolded herself. But it was just too much. She was afraid she might explode if she didn't let her tears flow.

_Haruhi, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry._ She could still feel the tingling sensation from Kyouya's touch. She thought what she said could make a difference. She _hoped_ she could make a difference. But she was completely wrong.

Kyouya was going to be engaged to a girl that belonged in his world; a world where she cannot exist; a world so far away. _Light years apart,_ she recalled him saying.

Kyouya was out of her reach now.

Haruhi sagged on a cold, metal bench under the cherry blossom tree which was on their full bloom glory. She stared at the falling petals with no particular thing in mind. She was too screwed up to think of anything. There was just the pain. Her heart was broken for the second time by the very same guy. How pathetic.

"Excuse me, my dear? Are you alright?" A familiar voice asked.

Haruhi gasped, she hastily wiped her tears, thanking the heavens that Kaoru applied waterproof make-up on her. She looked up to see the chairman of Ouran High School. She abruptly stood up and bowed.

"Chairman Suoh, good evening, sir," she greeted politely.

The elder man looked at her, puzzled. Haruhi sighed, "It's me, sir, Fujioka Haruhi."

His jaw dropped. "Haruhi? Fujioka Haruhi? My special student?"

"Yes, sir."

"Oh! I didn't recognize you," he chuckled. "You look rather dashing tonight."

Haruhi blushed. "Thank you."

"Why are you out here? Were you crying?" He asked concernedly as he saw her bloodshot eyes.

"N-no, sir. I'm fine," she tried to smile but the elder man was no fool like his son.

He sighed and looked at her fondly. "You don't have to smile if you don't feel like smiling," he said gently.

Haruhi's smile dropped, "I'm sorry."

"Are you sick, honey? Are you hurt somewhere?"

_Yes, it badly hurts,_ she wanted to say and her eyes stung again. She shook her head.

"You know," the chairman started. "I've always considered you as the daughter I never had. And as a father, it pained me to see you sad."

Haruhi wanted to smile; it was exactly what Tamaki would say. But the feeling of needing somebody to cry onto was just too overwhelming she couldn't stop her tears.

_Stupid! Stupid! Stop being such a crybaby!_ "I'm sorry. I just-" she choked.

"When I was young, my strict parents told me that crying is what a weakling would do. But sometimes, everything becomes too much for us to handle and crying is all we can do," the elder man patted her shoulder and sat beside her on the bench.

Haruhi bit her lip as the straw of control slipped out and she surrendered to cry. The chairman didn't say anything more; he just sat there, consolingly patting her.

In the midst of her misery, some ungodly force made her blurt out all about the secret relationship she had with Kyouya. Before she even realized it, she was almost finished telling the whole story.

The chairman was shocked as hell. "I always thought it was Tamaki," he said.

Haruhi looked at him. "Why would you think that, sir?" She asked curiously.

"Well, that boy's always blubbers about you. So I thought..."

"Oh. It's-it's not like that. Tamaki-senpai is like a big brother to me. There's something about him that is very easy to love but that's all I feel about him," she explained warily.

The man nodded. "Yes, Tamaki has a magnet to draw people towards him," he chuckled.

They were shrouded in an awkward silence as they braced for the sudden cold spring breeze.

"What are you going to do now?" The chairman asked quietly when the wind died down.

Haruhi took a deep breath. She knew what to do now. She looked at him with resolve, "I'm going to accept the scholarship in America, sir."

"Are you accepting it because you really want it or because you're running away from here?" The elder man asked cautiously. His expression was hard.

"No!" Haruhi's voice was sharp and loud. Realizing her rudeness, she hastily bowed. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to shout. Please, forgive me."

"It's okay, it's okay! Not to worry," he chuckled at the sudden unusual outburst of his usually-calm student. "I apologize too, for judging you harshly."

Haruhi sighed. "My dad and I talked about it the other day. I decided to go even before I learned Kyouya's engagement," she said.

"You went to this party to tell him?"

"I came here because... I thought I could make him tell me the real reason why he broke up with me. Well, now he showed me," she smiled sadly.

"What if you're mistaking?"

"Excuse me?"

"Kyouya is an intelligent boy. And he is not the submissive type, you know what I mean, don't you? He will fight for what he wants. Even if he has to use _deceptions._" The chairman said seriously. He didn't want to make this harder for her but he also didn't want her to make a decision out of sheer emotions.

Haruhi didn't want to trust her hopes. She said slowly, "We don't know that for sure, Chairman. Besides, I've already decided; I'm going to America."

* * *

A few minutes later, Haruhi was safely buckled in a black limo. Chairman Suoh insisted of bringing her home because she was no longer in the state of enjoying the party.

"Thank you so much for everything, sir," Haruhi said gratefully.

"You deserve all that, honey." The elder man stood by car, smiling ever so kindly. "Don't worry about your friends, I'll tell them you're not feeling well and that I sent you home. Now, off you go." He waved to the driver and the engine started.

Haruhi nodded and the window automatically closed. The car moved slowly out of the Ootori premises. The Chairman swore to Haruhi that her secrets were safe with him. So she wasn't worried.

The funny feeling in her stomach rised as she pulled away from the life she'd known since she entered high school. She was alone now and the heavy consequences of her choice was beginning to dawn on her.

Haruhi looked back at looming white mansion. This was probably the last time she'll ever see it. She closed her eyes, committing all the memories in her heart and mind. Then, with a deep breath, she looked ahead the long winding road of the future.

_Goodbye, Kyouya..._

**:::**

**01/26/13 OWARI**

**:::**

SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:

That was a looooong chapter!

Now I wonder how our story will turn out. I'm really hoping for a happy ending!

Sorry for the mistakes I overlooked; I don't have the time to edit it thoroughly. I still have a life to breath outside virtual reality. Besides, my computer is broken :( I'm using iPad to edit this which is _really_ painstakingly hard. Also, please understand the OOCness of the characters because I'm not Hatori Bisco, hahaha!

Thank you for all the views, reads, reviews, follows and favorites. I hope you like this extra-long chapter update. Thank you for waiting patiently, too. Please continue to support Spring Petals until the end. Thank you!

Ja, natsu_no_sora signing off!


	5. Vanished

"Right Here Waiting" Revised Edition 2013 © natsu_no_sora

**Ouran High School Host Club 2002 © Hatori Bisco**

I do not own anything. Support the mangaka by buying her works.

* * *

**:::**

**Chapter 05: Vanished**

**:::**

The raging first demon slammed the door shut with such force the hinges groaned. Ootori Yoshio looked up with mild surprise to see his youngest son turning red in anger. Behind him was Suzuki Mayu, looking furious but much more composed.

"This isn't part of the deal," Kyouya seethed through his gritted teeth as soon as he met his father's eyes. He didn't care anymore if he was being rude. All he just wanted was to be with Haruhi and not with someone he barely knew, was it too much to ask?

The man sitting behind the large dark mahogany table regarded him calmly. "I don't remember signing a deal with you, son."

_Damn it! _Kyouya was ready to give his old man the punch of a lifetime but Mayu restrained him by his arm.

"Ootori-sama," she spoke up. "With all due respect, sir, but my father didn't inform me any of this arrangement. I don't think it is right for you to decide-"

"Don't worry, dear." Yoshio smiled and stood. "Your father is very well-informed of the engagement. It's good timing that both of you are here because he'll be joining in a few minutes."

"But he haven't ask me if I want to marry your son," she insisted. Her patience was thinning out as heard in her sharpening voice.

"No one's asking for your consent," Yoshio countered coolly.

Mayu gasped. Her dark eyes narrowed and her nails dug into Kyouya's arm. She was about to say something really impolite but a loud knock on the door stopped her.

"Ah, he's here." Yoshio smirked. The door opened and a middle-aged man entered the study. One look at him and Kyouya knew he was Mayu's father. He was the exact male version of his daughter.

"Father," Mayu breathed even before he could speak.

"Mayu? What are you..." the man frowned confusedly at her.

"Kyouya," Yoshio cut in. "This is Suzuki Hiro, president and CEO of Suzuki Medical Enterprises. Mayu's father. After the engagement became official, our corporation will merge with them and the marriage will finalize-"

"Father," Kyouya said firmly. "I already did what you want me to do but we didn't agree to this." He eyed his father piercingly.

"Dad, please, tell me this is all just a sick joke," Mayu pleaded her father.

Hiro looked at her with pity. "No, Mayu. Ootori-sama and I already talked about this. You and Kyouya-kun are going to be married-"

"NO!" She exploded. Everyone in the room stared at her in surprise. "You can't do this to us. You can't just go around throwing your children in a marriage of convenience!"

Kyouya watched her with admiration as she strongly defies her father head on. How he wished he could do that without earning a slap and getting kicked out of the family.

"Listen here, my dear," Yoshio spoke instead of her father. His patience was going down fast; he got a lot of more important things to do than to deal with stubborn children so he resolve to second option: "If you don't marry my son, you better say goodbye to Suzuki Enterprises."

He was expecting her to be horrified. Succumbed miserably and agree to the marriage. But he was taken aback when Mayu glared ice daggers at him. No politeness or sense of inferiority considered, she spat through her teeth: "Excuse me, Ootori-sama, but I don't fucking care about that goddamn enterprise. You can have it all you want!"

Kyouya held his breath as his eyes widened. He looked at his astounded father. Surely, no one had _ever _spoken to him that way. The young Ootori was shocked; it didn't occur to him that this timid, sweet-looking girl could say something so lethal.

"Mayu!" Hiro snapped horrifiedly. "How dare you-"

"I'm sorry, dad," she looked at her father. Tears formed in her eyes but she held her gaze. "I can't marry Kyouya-kun."

Hiro's frown deepened; his face was asking, _why?_

Mayu answered his unspoken thought. "I have a boyfriend, dad. And I love him. I'm sorry but I can't give up on him just for the company."

"What?" her father whispered. He looked like he was having a coronary attack on the spot.

"He is just an average guy. He's neither from a wealthy nor a well-known family. He's supporting himself to study in Tokyo University. He's hardworking and very kind. Despite his difficult schedule between school and work, he always finds a way to make me smile. He sees me for what I am and not for my money. I love him, dad. I love him very much." Mayu continued wiping her falling tears but kept her steady gaze deep into her father's eyes.

"Oh, Mayu..." Hiro said exasperatedly.

"No matter what you say, it will never change my mind. I'm so sorry, dad. I know the company means so much to you but I just can't. I'm sorry." Mayu bowed to him and ran out of the room, leaving all three men flabbergasted.

Silence fell around them for a long time until Hiro chuckled.

"I am sorry, Ootori-sama. I'd never seen Mayu like that before. She's usually calm and shy. She really is in love with this guy," he sighed. "I apologize for her rudeness." The man bowed lowly before them and straightened up with new perspective in his eyes. "Even though this meant I lose my company, I am glad. I'm glad that she's all grown up now. She knows when to fight for her own happiness. I guess... this call off the engagement, Ootori-sama. I am very sorry for the trouble." He bowed again and left the room with a smile on his face.

Kyouya envied Mayu. She had the strength to fight for her boyfriend. She faced a challenge without fear and stood her ground. Compared to her, he was a big ass coward. But he was about to change that.

He turned to his still-speechless father and said before leaving, "I hope you learned something from them."

* * *

It was early in the afternoon and Haruhi was all set: her baggage, her documents, some dollars and a never-before feat in her pocket: a cellphone. Ranka insisted it and for the sake of his sanity, she reluctantly agreed. Her plan was to call him via pay phone every day when she's in America because she was worried the host club might track down her cell once they learned she left the country. They're rich bastards, after all. They can get what they want through whatever ways they have; whether it's legal or illegal.

The university sponsoring her studies pulled her out of Ouran. It meant that Haruhi will be finishing her last year of high school in America. That was to ensure her slot and it'll make her admission flow smoothly to college.

"Have you called your friends, Haruhi?" Ranka appeared by the door of her room.

"Yes, dad. They already know." She didn't turn to look at him. She was a horrible liar and her father will know better than Sherlock that she was lying.

"Oh, honey!" Ranka bounded to her and gave her a choking hug. "Daddy will miss you so much!"

Haruhi patted his back. "Yeah, I know. I'll miss you, too. I'll call once the plane touched the solid ground, I promise."

"You better," he warned as he brushed her bangs. He caressed her face lovingly. "You're really not planning to tell me where exactly in America you'll be studying, are you?"

Haruhi made sure her dad knew the general info but not the specifics. She didn't tell him where exactly in the American continent or even the name of the school. It was an extremely difficult mission to execute but she managed. She said it was a farewell game: The "Guess Where Haruhi Is Going" game. Her father seemed excited.

"No, dad. That's cheating!" she nervously laughed. "But you can ask the host club. They know," she lied. Her friends know absolutely nothing.

"Okay," he pouted childishly. "I'm sorry I can't send you off to the airport," he looked at her apologetically.

"It's alright, dad. I understand," Haruhi thanked her lucky stars her father's shift started early that day.

"Is Kyouya coming to send you off?"

"I... don't know," she shrugged. Haruhi told him the host club would be there in the airport. If they knew for real that she was going away, would Kyouya be there, too? She didn't really know.

Her face must've been so miserable her father didn't push it. He sympathetically patted her head.

"I hope you'll find a better guy in America and when you do, I want you to slap it to that four-eyed guy!" he joked.

"Dad!" Haruhi giggled and shook her head. "I'm going there to study, not to man-hunt. Besides, I don't think I'm ready to... you know," she grimaced.

Ranka smiled at her. "If Kyouya isn't really the one for you, then in the right time, you will."

Haruhi smiled back uncertainly. _Maybe._

There was a car honk outside and Ranka sighed. "That should be my ride. I'm sorry, honey but I gotta go first. Take care, okay? Call me once you get there and every day, that's an order! I love you." He kissed her forehead, cheeks and nose then he was gone.

Haruhi was suddenly filled with sadness. She'll miss her dad and her friends. She'll miss the host club and Ouran. And as much as it hurts to think, she'll definitely miss a certain shadow king. The guilt about lying to her dad was almost as much guilt as killing someone. And the thought of her friends going completely ballistic if they found out...

_Think about what will happen in America, not of what will happen here after you left, idiot! _She mentally reprimanded herself.

Haruhi took a deep breath. _I can do this. Of course, I can. This is my only option now._

She said her goodbyes to her mother's memorial and gathered out her things. The airport taxi will be there to pick her up in a few minutes.

* * *

An hour after the cab took Haruhi to the airport; someone's being phone-harassed by a blonde dude somewhere.

_KYOUYA!_

Tamaki's voice boomed out of Kyouya's BlackBerry as he answered the insistent call of his best friend.

"What do you want, Tamaki?" He sighed exasperatedly.

_Kyouya, our daughter was not feeling well last night. We're going to visit her, _he said.

It wasn't a question. It was a demand. In normal circumstances, he would probably get pissed off but right now, Kyouya didn't mind as he was already in his car, on the way to her apartment. But it wasn't the part that caught him; _not feeling well?_

"How'd you know she wasn't feeling well?" he asked coolly.

_My dad told me he found her on a bench somewhere in your house and he sent her home because she had a fever. We're on our way now. Where are you?__  
_  
"I'm coming over," he simply said and snapped off his phone.

After Kyouya left his father, he immediately jumped in his car and ordered Tachibana to drive him off to Haruhi's apartment.

Kyouya wanted to apologize to her. For all the pain he had caused her, for breaking up with her and for being a coward. He wanted to say sorry for all that. He wanted to explain to her the real reason. And tell her how much he loved her and that he wasn't about to let her go again. He was determined to win her back. If he had to get down on his knees and beg. If he had to do it in front of their friends, then so be it.

Tachibana parked the limo in the familiar streets of Haruhi's neighborhood. Kyouya spotted Tamaki's car. The gang was standing there. He got out and approached his friends.

"Kyouya," Tamaki greeted. Everyone else waved at him. He noticed that the host club was once again complete in attendance. Well, subtract Haruhi.

"What are you all doing down here?" Kyouya asked, wondering why they haven't knocked the door.

"No one's home," one of the twins said.

"Maybe Haru-chan's in the supermarket?" Hunny-senpai suggested.

"But she's sick," Kaoru (or maybe Hikaru) said.

Everyone started muttering all at once, with Tamaki's voice being the loudest. Kyouya ignored them as he looked at the closed door of her apartment. The spare key went heavy in his pocket and he was tempted to use it. But he decided against it.

They waited there for a few hours, thinking that she probably went out. The King became agitated like a kid with ADHD as the minutes passed while the twins played their usual game on the blonde dumb. Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai were inside the car, eating cakes. Kyouya just leaned there on the car, waiting patiently. But his insides were burning as the thoughts of her invaded his mind.

Darkness veiled the neighborhood, still no Haruhi appeared. Kyouya suppressed a sigh as he watched his best friend went into hysterics. In the end, the host club decided to come back the next morning. They bid their farewells to each other and got into their respective cars.

Unbeknownst to them, Haruhi was already cruising through the clouds in JAL's Boeing 747-400 at a speed of 500 mph, 35, 000 feet above the Pacific Ocean.

* * *

There was a very grumpy transversal the next day in Fujioka residence. It was still early in the morning when someone mercilessly banged on his front door. Ranka, being a low-blood pressure demon himself, glared at his unwanted visitors with disheveled hair.

"What the hell do you want?" he growled.

"G-good m-morning, Ranka-san!" Tamaki trembled before the murderous aura of Haruhi's father. He cautiously cringed away from him and hid behind Kyouya.

Ranka stopped short. He opened his half-lidded eyes and once his brain registered their faces, he blinked confusedly at the host club. He frowned; what are they doing here? They shouldn't be here...

"Ah, Ranka-papa-san! Good morning, we're here to visit Haruhi," the twins said simultaneously.

"What do you mean visit Haruhi? Are you kidding me? You were just with her yesterday!" he said incredulously.

"No, we haven't seen her all day yesterday, Ranka-san," Kyouya spoke calmly, though he wasn't feeling anywhere near calm.

Ranka looked at him, his expression hard. He didn't know what to feel towards the bespectacled guy who had broken his daughter's heart. But he didn't know the whole story so he didn't have any rights to judge him.

But that didn't matter right now. The fact that the host club was here, looking for his long-gone daughter, only meant one thing. Ranka was wide awake now, confused and with surging anger.

"That girl..." he muttered as he realized what Haruhi did.

"What? What is it? Where is she?" asked Tamaki.

Just by looking at Ranka's tight face, Kyouya knew something's terribly wrong.

"Are you sure you weren't with her yesterday?"

"No, sir. We went here late in the afternoon but no one's home," Kyouya answered.

Ranka massaged his temple and exhaled. He looked at them seriously and said, "Haruhi's gone."

There a beat of total silence. Then-

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN GONE?! IS SHE DEAD?!" Tamaki exploded.

"NO, YOU IDIOT!" Ranka smacked him upside the head. He huffed indignantly and he turned seriously to Kyouya. "She left yesterday."

Kyouya frowned. "Left? To where?"

"When is she coming back, papa-san?" the twins asked.

"That... I don't know!" He groaned in frustration. How could he let this happen? How could he be so foolish? Letting Haruhi flew off without knowing exactly where, total idiot.

"Ranka-san, what do you mean you don't know?" Kyouya asked slowly. He was desperately holding his emotions at bay.

"I don't know means I don't know! Haruhi said _you _know! She said it's a game, the 'Guess Where Haruhi is Going' game. Shit, who taught her that silly game, anyway?!"

Tamaki whipped his head towards the twins with you-are-so-dead expression. But Ranka didn't notice.

"If I can't guess it right, she said I should just ask you. And here I thought you knew! She even said that you'll send her off to the airport! Oh, that girl, really..." he shook his head weakly.

"Airport?!" they chorused horrified, except for Kyouya. He was too stunned to even breathe.

"Yes. She's probably standing on US territory right now!"

"US?!"

"Stop shouting to my face!" Ranka swatted their faces away as they inched closer to him with every word he said. "Haruhi got a full scholarship package from a university somewhere in America."

"What? But she didn't say anything about that," Tamaki said indignantly.

"Yeah, I can see that," Ranka said sarcastically.

"How did she manage to get a scholarship from America?" Kyouya said inquisitively, his Shadow King instincts kicking in.

"She said Ouran offered it to her." Ranka stopped short. Then all eyes turned to Tamaki.

"What?" he blinked and held up his palm like they had accused him of murder.

"Tamaki, your father must know something about this," Kyouya said.

The blonde in question frowned then smacked his forehead. "That old man flew off last night. He went to Europe for a series of business conferences!"

"When will he return?" The twins asked.

Their King grimaced, "Not for another two months."

"That's long!"

"Yeah, well, you can't visit all the countries in Europe in just one day, can you?"

Kyouya closed his eyes briefly. Just as he was about to confess to her, she vanished. Some devil must've hated him. When he snapped his aching eyes open, Ranka was staring intently at him. He stared back with strong resolve. They sort of had a mental conversation that probably said: _We're going to find Haruhi, no matter what._

"So, what now? We don't have any clues to where she is, except America," Hikaru said.

"But America is so large. How do we find her?" Kaoru added.

"Maybe we can get some information in the airport?" Tamaki suggested.

Kyouya spoke, "Airports and airlines don't easily give out their passengers' information. Even if you're the prime minister, you got to have an order from the court."

The rest of the host club winced.

"The thing I couldn't understand is why did Haruhi hide this from us? It's not like we're going to sabotage her scholarship or anything," Hikaru voiced out, almost pouting. The others muttered in agreement.

Kyouya felt an imaginary punch landed in his gut while at the same time, he wanted to laugh. His friends, they'll never know the reason why Haruhi gave them a slip was because of _him. _They'll never know he broke her heart. At least, not yet.

Ranka glared at them. He was beginning to feel sorry for Kyouya. He could see how much pain and hurt the young man was shouldering. He also felt the strong emotions coming from him and the overflowing affection this raven-haired guy had for his daughter.

Everyone was in their own deep thoughts.

"Haruhi promised me she will call," Ranka broke the heavy silence. He might as well talking to Kyouya alone as he looked at him with meaningful expression. "I'll give you whatever information I could extract from her."

"Oh! Thank you! Thank you!" Tamaki bounded to Ranka to give him a hug but the transversal swiftly maneuvered out of his open arms and the dumb blonde slammed on the solid wall.

"Thank you, papa-san!" The twins snickered at their severed King.

"Just to be clear, I don't want you harassing my daughter once we located her. Haruhi must've foresee that you'll annoy the life out of her if she told you where she would be studying, that's why she hid it from you. We just want to know where _exactly _she is, and we'll leave it at that. Understand?" Ranka said sternly.

"Yes, sir!"

"Well then, get out of my house and let me sleep!"

The host club scampered out of the apartment. Except for Kyouya. Ranka had anticipated this and he looked at him expectantly.

"I'm sorry," the Shadow King bowed.

"What are you apologizing for?"

Kyouya straightened up with slight confusion. "For hurting Haruhi."

Ranka snorted. "I'm not her, so don't apologize to me." After a beat of silence, he sighed. "I don't know what happened between the two of you. But I know you love Haruhi-"

"Very much."

"Yes, I know. That's why I'm giving you the second chance to prove it to her," he paused for a moment as if he was thinking of something more to say. He took a deep breath and said gently, "Kyouya-kun, I want you to know that... you're the only one who brought back emotions in her eyes since her mother passed away. All she did was to study and study and study. She was like a robot; always aiming for perfection; always the good girl; always missing out the fun in her life. Until she met the host club. Until she met _you. _My naive little girl is in love with you so much. I see sparks in her eyes. She blushes whenever I ask her about you. She smiles unconsciously when I say your name. Please don't take that away from her. I'm counting on you, Kyouya."

Kyouya was surprised. Hearing that from a father... it surely was _something_. "I love her more than anything. I will find her and I'll make it up to her, Ranka-san. I promise. Thank you so much." He bowed again.

"Use your second chance wisely or I'll shred you to bits," Ranka threatened. "Now, go. You still have a stubborn girlfriend to find. Oh, and I want a lot of pretty grandbabies in the future. Just so you know." He gave a playful giggle before closing the door.

Ootori Kyouya was elated, and it wasn't for the fact that Ranka wanted grandbabies; he had granted him a second chance. And he was about to go all out. No corner of America will be left unturned.

The Shadow King allowed a smirk, _Operation: Girlfriend-Hunt, now commencing._

**:::**

**01/30/13 OWARI**

**:::**

SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:

Whoa. I can't believe I've finished writing this. Is the story too fast-paced? I hope it's just right. And I did another long chapter again! :)

Well, uh... I'm not really good at interacting a lot of characters all in one situation. But this one, I wanted to focus on Ranka and Kyouya. I purposely laid low the other characters so it won't take longer than this.

I'm sorry for the mistakes and grammatical errors I didn't notice. The massive OOCness, that's given.

And I love you for all the views, reads, reviews, follows and favorites you've put in my email. Thank you! I really appreciate it :D

Please keep on supporting my KyoHaru fic. Ja~!


	6. Hints and Games

"Right Here Waiting" Revised Edition 2013 © natsu_no_sora

**Ouran High School Host Club 2002 © Hatori Bisco**

I do not own anything. Support the mangaka by buying her works.

* * *

**:::**

**Chapter 06: Hints and Games**

**:::**

Kyouya's fist came down the table first before his body flopped on the chair.

_Shit, _he cursed.

It had been two months since the host club found out that Haruhi was missing. Well, not technically _missing,_ she just had gone AWOL. And every day, _every freaking day, _Kyouya was searching for her through any means he can get to no avail.

Even Ranka was ripping his hair off in frustration because Haruhi refused to tell him. He tried different tactics and approaches whenever she called just to get her to answer but she firmly stood her ground. Talking it out to her was like convincing a scientist that the earth is actually the center of the universe.

Knowing that asking-her-directly tactic was an absolute failure, the host club switched to their villain mode. They turned their attention to technology and tried tracking down the number she used when calling her father. But Ms. Smart Pants was clever enough to use different pay phones which numbers do not appear on the caller ID they'd set up.

Their only option left now was to confront the Chairman. But the long wait made Kyouya groggy and his mood was worse than a girl having a PMS. Every day that passed seemed to add to his anxiousness to see Haruhi again.

God, he missed her so much. Kyouya wondered what she was doing right now. Was she eating well? How was she adjusting to her new life? Does she wonder about him, too? He thought about those things every day. He rubbed his temple, thinking of these questions all over again when his BlackBerry buzzed.

_This better be good news or else..._"What?" he snapped.

_Kyouya, my dad has arrived this morning! _Tamaki informed him with too much enthusiasm.

The Shadow King bolted upright on his sit. "Did you ask him?" he inquired as casually as he could.

_Not yet. He's taking a nap right now and he promised to talk to us later._

Kyouya suppressed a sigh, _another wait? _"Fine," he huffed.

_Three o'clock in Ouran, see you!_His best friend dropped the line and he could imagine the blonde prancing around the house in delight.

For the nth time these past two months, Kyouya felt the exhilarating hope again. And each time he felt this way, each time he trusted to his hopes, he always ended up back to the starting line. But _this _time, he was going to make sure he'll get the answers he wanted.

* * *

In the other side of the world, Haruhi was adjusting to her new life. It was a bit difficult than she expected but little by little, she was trying to fit in.

Even though almost all undergraduates from Harvard University lived in the dormitory inside the campus, Haruhi had a unit in a red-bricked apartment building situated in Riverside; an upper-class, quiet neighborhood in Cambridge bounded by the Charles River and lush artificial greeneries around.

Living alone was never a problem to Haruhi. She enjoyed being independent and doing things at her own pace. Her apartment was small but real neat and cozy. Everything was westernized which would take a lot to get used to. Though she missed her old life in Japan, she loved it there, especially the view from her living room's huge window. It overlooked the serene waters of the river that always fascinated her.

It was a pretty humid morning in Riverside. Haruhi just finished eating her breakfast. The sky was a perfect, cloudless blue horizon and the wind was just right. It made her feel light and happy as she washed her dishes. She took a quick shower, put on some comfortable clothes and stepped out of her apartment. She was planning to spend her day strolling in Harvard University and get familiarized with the place. After all, school's starting in a couple of weeks.

She was greeted by whiff of warm breeze at the bus station. It'll take a short ride to get out of the semi-secluded neighborhood and to the city's main squares. Clutching her sling bag, she comfortably sat on the bench as she waited for the bus. She obviously had the town map memorized in her head and didn't need her nose buried on a Cambridge atlas.

It was a fine Sunday and the people were enjoying the perfect weather sitting idly in the parks. Haruhi hopped off the bus as she reached the Harvard Square. Being one of the hearts of the city, it was always jammed-pack but still comfortable to walk around without bumping into people.

Haruhi roamed around the square aimlessly; checking out shops, browsing through bookstores and getting lost in the huge university. She was too distracted to notice the time until her stomach reminded her of its existence. She decided to take a lunch in Bertucci's; a casual-themed Italian restaurant along Brattle Street.

As she was waiting for her order, Haruhi looked around the restaurant. The place looked high class, as most of the buildings in Cambridge were, despite of the reasonable menu price. There was a quiet buzzing from the other diners and the occasional clatter of the utensils. It was peaceful.

"Here's your order: Oven-roasted meatballs simmered in our very own Pomodoro sauce and served over spaghetti." A friendly blonde girl laid her food on the table with a cheerful smile.

"Thank you," Haruhi replied in flawless English as she looked up and returned the smile. No matter how many times she already seen blonde hairs, she couldn't help but think of Tamaki and Hunny-senpai.

"Can I get you anything else?" the waitress asked.

Haruhi shook her head. "No, I'm good. Thanks!"

"Great! Enjoy your meal." With another smile, the girl left her.

Haruhi caught the mouthwatering fragrance of the food and for some reasons too painful to think about, a certain memory came back to her. It was one of the many dates she and Kyouya had; when he dragged her to a fancy Italian restaurant in Shibuya. That night, she found out the Shadow King loved spaghetti.

_Damn, _Haruhi thought with a bitter chuckle. She twirled the pasta mindlessly as she let the memory flickered in her head with a small prickle in her heart.

Haruhi brought the pasta-wrapped fork to her mouth and tasted the delicious blending of sweet and sour tomato sauce on her tongue.

_Kyouya would love this, _she thought with another bite. She continued to eat slowly, thinking about him. Two months had already passed, she wondered if he was engaged with the girl from the graduation party. Or did they already get married?

Her stomach lurched at the thought. She quickly dropped her fork and almost drowned herself in a glass of coke to fight the rising nausea.

When she calmed down, the spaghetti didn't look so appetizing anymore. She asked for her bill and instantly fled the restaurant, scolding herself for being such a stupid masochist.

Haruhi went back to her apartment, feeling exhausted and drained, whether from walking or from her conjured thoughts, she didn't know. She hadn't heard anything from Kyouya or anyone from the host club since she arrived in there. Her dad didn't mention them, probably because he was busy all the time trying to convince her to tell him where she was.

Were they angry at her for not telling them? Were they looking for her? Tamaki must've been throwing tantrums. The twins probably going out of their minds. Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai must've been worried. But does Kyouya think about her at all?

_Maybe not..._Haruhi thought sadly as she drifted off to uneasy sleep on the couch.

* * *

A few minutes before three o'clock, a sleek, black limo pulled over the main building of the Ouran Private Academy. Kyouya stepped out and made his way to the administrative wing.

He found his friends waiting outside the dark mahogany door of the Chairman's office.

"Kyouya-senpai," the twins greeted him.

"Kyou-chan! You came!" Hunny-senpai giggled from Mori's back.

Kyouya nodded in acknowledgement. "Where's Tamaki?"

The twins gestured towards the closed door and as if on cue, it opened to reveal his best friend.

"Oh, good, you're here. Come on in," Tamaki grinned and let them inside his father's office.

The young men muttered polite greetings and stared seriously at the Chairman, who was sitting behind a large table, watching them fondly with a smile. "So, what do I owe this audience?"

"Dad, do you know where Haruhi is?" Tamaki straightforwardly asked.

"Why, of course!" The man exclaimed with a chuckle. "I _am _the Chairman, in case you forgot."

Kyouya and the rest exhaled in relief. At least, a living human being in Japan knew where Haruhi was.

"Really?" Tamaki sparkled. "Where is-"

"I'm sorry I cannot tell you that," his father said deadpanned.

Kyouya's heart sank. There goes his hopes again, crashing down on him like a ten-foot tall tsunami. But he wasn't about to accept that. He wanted an answer and he was going to get that, no matter what.

His friends protested simultaneously. They muttered indignantly, with Tamaki being the loudest as usual.

"Why can't you tell us?" the King stomped his foot like a three-year old.

"Listen, gentlemen," the elder man ordered calmly. And the whole room quieted. "I promised Haruhi that I will never disclose her location to _anyone. _Not even to her father," he said seriously.

"Damn that stupid promise!" Tamaki cursed, his eyebrows furrowing in frustration. He knew there's no way for them to extract the answers from his dad once he promised. The freaking old man stood up to his words.

"What the hell wrong with her?!" Hikaru snapped. His twin nudged him to remind him that they were in front of the man who could expel them with just a flick of his pinky.

"I'm sure you'll know the answer when the time is right, isn't it, Kyouya-kun?" Yuzuru gave the young Ootori a taunting smile which made Kyouya frowned. Then his heart fell on his stomach. Something in the way the old man looked at him gave him an odd feeling. Chairman Suoh seemed to know more than he should. He seemed to know something about _them._

Kyouya cleared his throat and adjusted his eyeglasses, feeling the prickling sensation crawl on his skin._ How did he know about... Haruhi must've told him. But why?_

"Come on, dad. This is important. Screw that promise, we _need _to know where she is!" Tamaki whined.

"Haruhi is doing perfectly fine. She's adjusting well in her new life. She doesn't need any assistance," Yuzuru said.

"Why d'you know about that?" they frowned.

"Haruhi regularly gives me a call to keep me inform."

"WHAT?! You can talk to her and _we _can't? That's not right! We're her friends!" they protested.

Suoh Yuzuru smiled warmly and looked at them one by one. They were indeed, all grown up now. Their faces were identical with worry and concern for their missing friend. His eyes lingered on Kyouya's desperate expression. Poor teen, must be going through a very hard situation.

He stood from his chair and walked around the table. "Tell me, why are you so persistent to know where she is? You already know that she's alright. You don't need to get all worked up," he said quietly.

The host club blinked at him like it was pretty obvious why. Nobody had ever guessed that it was Kyouya who spoke out since everyone knew he wasn't really fond of Haruhi other than his obsession to her debt.

"Haruhi's our precious friend, sir. She is part of our family. We can't just let her go to some unknown place alone," he said seriously. His friends turned to look at him with wide eyes and slacked jaws. Since when did Kyouya become Haruhi's knight in shining armor? As far as everyone knew, that was Tamaki's job.

Kyouya felt all eyes on him and sighed. He didn't want to get all suspicious and creepy so he added: "She also have a huge debt in my ledger and I want it back."

The Chairman mentally punched the air and suppressed a grin. That was exactly the reaction he wanted to get from Kyouya. _See, Haruhi? I told you this young man's head over heels with you._

"Alright!" he said in a loud voice as he smacked the table with his palm, effective making all his visitors flinch. "Listen carefully, okay?" He went back to his seat and intently stared to the twinkling eyes of the host club.

"Are you going to tell us?" Hunny-senpai asked excitedly.

"No."

The young men groaned.

"But I can help you."

"If you're not going to tell us, then how're you going to help us?" Tamaki asked irritatingly.

"Let's see..." his father tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Since I cannot tell you the exact location of Haruhi, which I swore never to reveal, I could just give a hint." He paused to let his words seep into their brains.

"You mean, like a game?" The twins perked up.

"Yes, yes. A game," the elder man agreed with the same enthusiasm. "That's a nice way to put it. Let's call the game, 'Hide-Haruhi-and-Seek-Kyou-I mean, Host Club."

Kyouya barely noticed the playful teasing of the old man as he was deep in thought. _Hint. Games? Well then, if that's what you want... Bring it on, Chairman Suoh._

"Awesome!" the host club cheered.

"I'm going to give you only one hint-"

"One hint?!" Tamaki and the twins repeated incredulously. "That's unfair! There's a standard three-hint option in every game!" they reasoned out.

"Take it or leave it," the chairman countered.

"We'll take it." The Shadow King said in a low, serious voice.

"We'll take it?" Tamaki turned to his best friend with disbelief on his face.

"Yes, we'll take it. So shut your mouth and let's hear what your father has to say," he replied coldly.

Again, the old man mentally punched the air in victory. "Okay, gentlemen, Fujioka Haruhi got accepted in one of the most prestigious universities in America."

The host club hung their mouths open. They were a bit surprised. They knew Haruhi was intelligent but getting a scholarship from a prestigious university in America? That was just totally brilliant.

"Seriously? Wow," they muttered.

Kyouya allowed a small smile in his lips. It was always one of Haruhi's big dreams to attend a well-known university and not only she reached it, she achieved it with flying colors. He felt so proud of her.

"Yes. And that's all I'm saying."

"Eh?!"

"Now if I were you, I'll start looking for her instead of dilly dallying in my office," the Chairman smiled and gestured towards the door, indicating that their conversation was over.

The host club started filing out of the room, muttering and sulking like little kids. But for Kyouya, that was all he needed. It was better than knowing nothing. He will find Haruhi even if he had to search all the universities in America. He will find her even if it's the last thing he would do. Now that he had a clue, the Shadow King ought to have an intensive research tonight.

"Thank you for dropping by, kids!" The Chairman waved at them. "Remember, only the most prestigious universities!" he added with an annoying grin.

"Yeah, except that there are about a hundred prestigious universities across the continental US," Kaoru rolled his eyes.

"What's the plan, Tama-chan?" Hunny-senpai asked concernedly.

Tamaki gathered the gang in the parking lot. "Here's the plan: we're going to find the most well-known universities in America and check it out _personally._"

His friends blinked at him. They were used to his insane ideas but this one, they didn't know if he's serious or not.

"Kyouya," Tamaki continued. "You're the only reliable person to do this task: search these top universities."

Kyouya did not need telling to do it. "I know," he said with his signature smirk.

"When we have the list, we'll split up, fly to America and find Haruhi ourselves."

There was a silent moment as they let the plan sank in their minds.

"I like the plan," Hikaru commented.

"But like I said, there are a hundred universities in America," Kaoru countered.

"Remember what Tama-chan's father said: only the _most _prestigious. That can't be so hard to search, can it, Kyou-chan?" The little host perched on his cousin back as he frowned concernedly.

"No, Hunny-senpai," Kyouya assured. "We're talking about the most prestigious here, so it can't be that hard. There are only few institutes in America that exceeds the international standard."

Tamaki nodded. "We'll see how many there is then we'll divide it according to location. We'll leave it to you, Kyouya. Let's talk more about this tomorrow when we have the list. That's it for Operation: Hide Haruhi, Seek Host Club. Meeting adjourned!"

* * *

TOP UNIVERSITIES IN USA

01. Princeton University - NJ

02. William College - MA

03. Stanford University - CA

04. University of Chicago - IL

05. Yale University - CT

06. Harvard University - MA

07. Columbia University - NY

08. Pomona College - CA

09. Swarthmore College - PA

10. Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MA

As expected, it wasn't that hard to find the list of prominent universities in America. Kyouya just googled it and filtered the top most.

Doing so, he felt closer to Haruhi and it relaxed him a little. He was so worked up over this issue that he barely slept at all. But he was feeling lucky tonight as he shuts down his MacBook; he might get a proper sleep for once.

_Knock! Knock!_

Before he could move to answer the door, it opened.

His older brother, Akito, stood there, looking like an emotionless prick in black tie and suit. His sudden appearances didn't bring any good news as far as Kyouya remembered. And he was right.

"Kyouya, Father wants to talk to you."

**:::**

**02/03/13 OWARI**

**:::**

SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:

Hey, look who's here! Yep, it's me again. Thanks for dropping by :)

Hope you like my chapter update. Thank you for all the reviews from the last chapter, I had fun reading them even though most of it are demanding me to update, tehehe!

Anyway, how's this chapter? I like the funky Chairman and Haruhi's new life in Cambridge. I enjoyed studying the map of Massachusetts too much. The university list, I didn't make it up. It came from Forbes' list of top universities in US.

Wait, wait... What's this? What the hell does Ootori Yoshio wants from Kyouya again? Tsk, tsk. That calculating old man always ruining my couple's happily ever after.

Meet me again here next time! Let's find out how this damned story will turn out. Ja~!


	7. Hallucinations to Reality

"Right Here Waiting" Revised Edition 2013 © natsu_no_sora

**Ouran High School Host Club 2002 © Hatori Bisco**

I do not own anything. Support the mangaka by buying her works.

* * *

**:::**

**Chapter 07: Hallucinations to Reality**

**:::**

Tamaki stared intently on the piece of paper like he was trying to burn a hole on it.

"New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, Illinois, New York..." he muttered over and over again for the past five minutes.

"Are you going to blubber there all day like a demented parrot or are you planning to talk to us in coherent sentences?" the twins asked in a bored voice.

"Shut up, I'm trying to think here," he snapped.

"I printed out the top ten universities from the Forbes' list. I excluded the military academy since there's _no way_ Haruhi could've gone there," Kyouya said, feeling silly at the thought of her going to military.

"Of course not," his friends agreed with the twins snickering.

"What do we do now with the list, Tama-chan?" Hunny-senpai asked between bites of cake.

"We'll divide it among us: you and Mori-senpai, Kaoru and Hikaru. But Kyouya and I will be separated so we'll have four teams to conquer America!" Tamaki yelled like a commander of an army, complete with a hilarious pose. He snapped his fingers and settled down to business. "Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai, attack California!"

"Okay!"

"Hm."

"Kaoru, Hikaru, you two conquer the New England!"

"New England? I thought were going to chase Haruhi in America?" they asked dumbfounded.

"New England is the region in the northeast of US: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut," Kyouya sighed exasperatedly.

"Ooohhhh..." the twins chorused. "Alright, we're in!"

"Actually," Kyouya intercepted. "I should take the New England other than any state."

Everyone looked at him curiously. "Why?" Tamaki asked.

Kyouya took a deep breath and clasped his hands together on the table. "My father is sending me to Harvard for college."

"Really? You're going to study in Harvard?" Tamaki widened his eyes.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" The twins glared at him.

"That's because I just heard it from him last night." Kyouya explained his father's intention of kicking him off to Harvard since the engagement was cancelled. He said he might as well make use of his time enriching his mind if he ever wanted to take over the Ootori Empire. To hell with the stupid empire, Kyouya just wanted to be with Haruhi.

"Oh. Well, I think that's more convenient for you since you'll be in Harvard," Tamaki nodded in agreement and scribbled a note on the piece of paper. "So that's settles it, then. Kyouya will be in New England. Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai will be in California. You, evil doppelgänger, will be in New York." Tamaki handed them the list of prominent universities in their respective assigned area.

"Eh, what about you, Tono? Where are you going to scout?"

"As for me, I'll be jumping around America to visit the scattered schools that made it to the list. Like, uh-" he peeked at his paper. "Like New Jersey, Illinois, Pennsylvania- oh, by the way Kyouya, I'll check out Connecticut and Maine for you because that's pretty far from Massachusetts," Tamaki added.

"Do whatever you want," Kyouya muttered.

"Yosh! This ends our discussion here. Gentlemen, prepare for take-off, we're going to the United States of America."

* * *

Two weeks had passed since the school started. Haruhi stretched on her seat as the lunch bell rang through the high school department of Harvard University.

"Haruhi!" A gorgeous Caucasian girl with strawberry blonde locks and ocean-blue eyes called her from the door. Her name sounded funny coming from the the girl.

"What is it, Aaliyah?" she turned to her classmate and smiled.

"Let's eat lunch together!" Aaliyah linked her arm around Haruhi's and dragged her to the canteen.

Haruhi was warmly welcomed in her class. Her classmates seemed genuinely friendly and interested in her. All the nervousness melted away as she gained new friends, enjoyed their company and laughed freely with them; all that by the end of her first day.

Aaliyah was one of them; nice and cheerful, kind of like a female version of Tamaki. She always invited her to lunch and introduced Haruhi to her circle of friends.

That day, just like every day in the past two weeks, they had eaten their lunch in the school canteen and went back to their classroom for the afternoon session.

The day passed like a blur. Haruhi found herself trudging the now-familiar hallways towards the amazingly huge library of the university. After school, instead of going home early, she buried herself under thick books from the infinite bookshelves that contained priceless books and references. For a bookworm like her, the place was heaven on earth.

That particular sunny afternoon, she immersed herself in an english classic novel; a worn out copy of The Count of Monte Cristo. Haruhi lazily rested her cheek on her palm as her read the book. She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts and looked out the glass wall.

The bright sun rays shimmered a rainbow colored sparks against the glass and the garden outside was reflected beautifully. She stared at the landscape; there were a few groups of students hanging out, some girls were gossiping and giggling; others were playing chess. A typical Harvard afternoon.

Haruhi realized she enjoyed observing people; a feat she got from dating the Shadow King. _Oh well,_ she sighed. As she was about to return to the book she was reading, her eyes caught a figure walking in the garden.

She frowned; the familiar bespectacled guy with raven hair and dark eyes walked with the same confidence and power as Ootori Kyouya. She watched the guy intently as if he was the weirdest creature on earth, until he disappeared from her view. Her heart was beating like helicopter blades and she _almost_ made a mad dash towards the garden, calling for _Kyouya._ But reality kept her from doing it; he couldn't possibly be in Harvard's garden strolling leisurely, could he?

_Great, now I'm hallucinating,_ Haruhi thought as she closed her eyes and shook her head to clear her head. She closed the book and decided to go home. Maybe she was just tired. Or maybe because the book was recommended by Kyouya and her subconsciousness played tricks on her.

And that incident started her "hallucination". The following days, Haruhi was haunted by Kyouya's image.

Several times during lunch, she thought she saw him from the far corner of the canteen. One time, as she was walking towards her next class with Aaliyah, she saw a glimpse of him walking hastily a few meters ahead of them. She tried following him to make sure of what she was seeing. But he disappeared at the hallway intersection. And more frequently now, she saw him by the garden when she was in the library.

Haruhi was confused as hell and started to doubt her sanity. She was _sure_ it was Kyouya but some logical brain cells in her head reminded her that he couldn't possibly Kyouya because he doesn't know she was in Harvard. And even if he knew, he wouldn't cross half-way around the world to follow her, would he? Because he doesn't care about her anymore. Maybe it was just the pain and longing for him messing up with her head.

One ominous Friday afternoon, Haruhi was comfortably sitting in her favorite spot in the library. She was reading a new novel and this time, she avoided the books that would remind her of Kyouya.

Haruhi paused and automatically looked out the glass, which she realized was a bad idea because there he was again, walking purposely across the garden. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to clear her faulty vision.

_Stupid idiot,_ she scolded herself. _It's not him. It can't be him. It's just another illusion. That's what you get for daydreaming about him all the time._

With a frustrated growl, Haruhi shoved her books in her bag and left the library.

* * *

A prickling sensation at the back of his neck made Kyouya looked back at the garden of Harvard. His eyes landed on the glass wall of the library and his brows furrowed.

_Weird,_ he thought and continued towards the waiting limousine.

These past days, Kyouya got the feeling someone's looking at him. He thought it was just his imagination but it happened quite often now.

"Good afternoon, Kyouya-sama." Tachibana opened the passenger door for him. His young master nodded seriously and slid inside the limo. "Where would you like to go, sir?" He asked as soon as he was on the steering wheel.

"Willian College," Kyouya replied. And the car surged forward slowly.

It has been weeks since the host club's mission of finding Haruhi commenced. Luck wasn't on their side. Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai were still in California, checking out five universities. The twins were pulled out from New York since their senior year in Ouran had already started. They put up so much fight about it but eventually, they reluctantly flew back to Japan. And while Tamaki was searching Illinois like a madman, Kyouya was on his way to the third school.

A ride from Harvard to William College would take approximate three hours; Kyouya sighed.

They were moving out of the university premises when thunder rumbled overhead, making Kyouya snapped up. Instinctively, he pulled out his BlackBerry to call his girlfriend. Then realization hit him hard in the face. He wanted to laugh at himself as he remembered the sole reason why he was currently in US territory.

He shook his head and threw his phone on the empty seat beside him. He looked out the window, wondering for the millionth time about Haruhi. Wherever she was, he hoped it wasn't thundering there. It pained him to think about her trembling in fear without him to comfort her. The thunderstorm continued and every roar was pounding him to pieces.

It started to drizzle. The car was moving real slow to accommodate the building traffic. Kyouya hated it. With another frustrated growl, he focused his attention to the blurring world outside the limo.

As they approach a highway, thunders were rolling like someone upstairs was playing nonstop bowling. The wide asphalt in this part of Cambridge was surprisingly cleared from traffic. Kyouya caught a sight of a petite girl curled up on the bench under the shelter of the bus stop.

The girl was hugging her knees tightly and resting her head on it. She had a windswept brown hair that looked stunningly familiar.

_Haruhi,_ was all his mind said.

Then with another slap of realization, Kyouya jolted on his seat like an electrified fish.

"Stop!" he yelled. Tachibana, who seized the opportunity of clear traffic, started to speed up the car only to step hard on the brakes, causing them both to lurch forward.

"Kyouya-sama, what is-"

But Kyouya was already out the car. His heart was punching his ribs from the inside as he slowly approached the curled-up form of the girl. Now that he can see her clearly, he was absolutely 100% sure that she was Haruhi even with her face buried on her knees.

Thunder clapped again and he heard her whimpered; it sent a ripple of devastation to him as well as an enormous amount of relief. After months of agonizing search, he's finally a few feet away from her.

"Haruhi," he called out softly.

The girl froze. And then slowly, _too slowly,_ she looked up to reveal her frightened, child-like face. Her beautiful milk-chocolate eyes were rimmed with unshed tears.

"Kyouya..." she whispered and it resonated to the young man's ears like the sweetest lullaby in the world.

**:::**

**02/06/13 OWARI**

**:::**

SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:

Whoa. They finally met! Hallelujah! I hope you like my latest update. Not much dialogue in this chapter but I'm sure the next will be filled with it.

Thank you for the views, reads, reviews, favorites and follows! I appreciate it very much :)

Sorry for the cliffhanger, hehe! Till next time, Ja~!


	8. Light in the Shadows

"Right Here Waiting" Revised Edition 2013 © natsu_no_sora

**Ouran High School Host Club 2002 © Hatori Bisco**

I do not own anything. Support the mangaka by buying her works.

* * *

**:::**

**Chapter 08: Light in the Shadows**

**:::**

Haruhi despised herself. If only she'd paid more attention to her surrounding than indulging her mind in Kyouya's lingering image, then she wouldn't be in this situation. She could've noticed the gathering dark clouds and she could've gone home earlier.

As soon as the Harvard gate was in front of her, thunder boomed with such force she was momentarily stunned shock. Chills went down her spine and the overwhelming need to hide was almost unbearable. She didn't know how she managed to make her feet move (maybe it was the adrenaline) but she found herself under the shed outside the university where she usually wait for her ride.

Haruhi hadn't anticipated this. She didn't know Massachusetts have an awful lot of thunderstorms in early summer. And not to mention they're terribly _loud._ She sank on the bench with shaking legs, feeling like all her insides were melting. To make things worse, it started to drizzle and the bus was taking so freaking long to arrive.

Haruhi pulled up her knees and rested her head on it; feeling so weak and helpless as another set of thunders rumbled. At the time like this, she longed for Kyouya's comforting warmth which she gotten so used to in the past two years; back before they lost the things they've shared together. At times like this, she missed him so much she could only cry.

The thunderstorm raged on and the light drizzle was turning to a full-on rain. The wind picked up. Really, what a great weather to be outside.

_Kyouya, please... please, make it stop,_ Haruhi thought desperately. She suppressed a sob as the sky rumbled on like angry roars. A whimper escaped her trembling lips.

Out of the blue, as if answering her silent pleas, a voice she'd known anywhere called out: "Haruhi."

She froze like a bucket of water in the dead of a chilly winter night. Did she hear it right or was it another illusion brought by fear? She willed her head to look up, to check if _he_ was real. A part of her, probably her cruel, logical mind, was telling her that it was all in her messed up head, telling her that she was going nuts, telling her that Kyouya couldn't possibly be there. But given the current situation she was in, she didn't care anymore. She wanted him and she didn't give a damn if he was just part of her hallucinations or not.

Haruhi slowly lifted her blurry eyes to the source of the soft, cool voice. She was unconsciously holding her breath like she was waiting for a strong impact to hit her.

Her sight was obscured by tears but sure enough, _he_ was Ootori Kyouya. Standing just an arm's length away from her under the raining sky of Cambridge with unfathomable expression, the guy she ever loved was really _there._

"Kyouya..." Haruhi could barely whisper. And before the Shadow King could react, thunder clapped so hard she jumped in surprise.

Haruhi didn't mean to but she did what any rational creature would do: she bolted right into Kyouya and if it hadn't for his fast reflexes, they could've a nice roll over the wet road.

Kyouya clasped his arms around the crying girl and steadied himself. It took him about half a second before he realized that she was clinging to him fiercely. Instinctively, he tightened his hug on her, kissed her hair and inhaled his favorite scent in the world. He missed it. He missed her. He missed everything about her. And now she was here in his arms where she belonged, his heart felt like swelling and bursting with indescribable feelings.

"Sshh, it's okay. I'm here now. Everything's fine." Kyouya rubbed her back soothingly. He tried to pull her off his chest so he could see her face and wipe those tears but she wouldn't budge.

Haruhi was gripping the front of his white shirt as if her life depended on it. She could feel the frantic beating of his heart from his chest. She could feel the same calming warmth radiating off him. His voice, even his smell, it was all seemed so real. She closed her eyes tightly, praying that this dream would last forever.

"Please don't leave me," she begged in a small, miserable voice.

"No, I won't. I'll stay with you. I'll never leave you, I promise," Kyouya said sincerely with a kiss on top of her head.

Loud thunders continued on. Big raindrops started to pelt from the sunless sky and if they don't plan to move, they'll surely be doused in cold rain water in about two minutes.

Kyouya signaled something to Tachibana and his bodyguard quickly opened the passenger's door of the limo.

Kyouya cupped Haruhi's face and caressed her tear-streaked cheeks with his thumbs. She looked at him with scared and worried expressions, like she was dreading what he was about to say. Somehow, it made him smile; the kind of smile that would make Adonis jealous.

"Let's go home?" he asked in the way he would when talking to a child.

Haruhi's creased forehead relaxed a little and nodded. She didn't know what he meant by _home_ but wherever that was; she didn't care as long as she was with him. _Just this time,_ she thought. Just this time, she let herself succumbed to her "illusion".

Once inside the car, Kyouya plugged a pair of earphones to her cold ears like he used to. He patted her wet hair with the stored towel in the limo.

All the while, Haruhi was staring at him like he just dropped from the space. She still had Kyouya's shirt tightly fisted in her hand. He noticed it. He gently loosened her tensed hand and held it in his.

She watched his lips moved, saying, "I'm not going anywhere." Kyouya pulled her closer, his arms around her and let her head rest on his shoulder. Just like he always did back then.

* * *

The weather became more violent as the black limo diverted from its original route to Brattle Street, straight to Kyouya's apartment. Rains, thunders and lightning seemed to be competing among themselves.

But the ride was safe from the rages of nature outside; silent and comfortable. Much too comfortable for the couple sitting at the back that they both wished it will never end. But unfortunately for them, Tachibana was already parking the car.

Kyouya removed the earphones from Haruhi's ears and whispered, "We're here."

Haruhi reluctantly pulled away from his arms and looked at him like she was checking to see if he's still Kyouya.

He smiled. "Come on," he took her hand and helped her out the car. They dashed inside the condominium building. Haruhi didn't have time to look around the lobby as Tachibana pressed the elevator button and it immediately opened up. They went inside except for the bodyguard.

Now that she was alone with Kyouya and she couldn't hear the thunders anymore, Haruhi's brain started to clear up and everything was crashing down on her. _He's here. He's actually here. Why did he come here? Why am I with him? Damn thunders! And why're we holding hands? Didn't he say we're done? He's already engaged..._

Her breathing accelerated. Cold sweats beaded on her forehead. Why's and painful thoughts swirled in her head, making her dizzy. What's going on? What is he doing?

Kyouya seemed to notice her inner battles and tightened his hold on her hand. He knew she was thinking about him being there. He knew she was confused. And he knew she was hurting because of him.

Without any word, Kyouya pulled her in a fierce hug, much to Haruhi's surprise. He wanted to take all those pains he had caused her through his hug.

"K-Kyouya?" she choked, wondering what's going on with him. "I... can't breathe," she gasped.

He pulled back but held her close and stared into her eyes. "Haruhi, I'm-"

_DING!_

The elevator door opened, effectively cutting off whatever Kyouya has to say. Just like that time in his graduation party two months ago, when he'd lost her. But that will never happen again, he will make sure of that.

Kyouya sighed. He weaved his fingers through Haruhi's hand and led her to his unit. She followed robotically, confused as hell.

His unit was, as expected, spacious and luxurious. It had the most modern design a bachelor's pad could have. There was huge Samsung LED TV mounted on the wall with surround sound system in the living room. A dark brown couch and a low coffee table were located neatly in the center of the room. The whole interior was an elegant combination of dark wood panel and spotless white paint.

_Rich bastard,_ Haruhi thought.

"Are you hungry?" Kyouya asked.

She shook her head and smiled weakly.

"I'll get you something to eat," he said anyway. "Go seat over there."

_As bossy as ever,_ she scowled. She sat on the couch and roamed her eyes around the room. The occasional thunders could barely break through the thick walls.

Kyouya reappeared from the kitchen, carrying a cup of what smelled like hot chocolate and a jar of cookies. He laid it on the coffee table and sat beside her.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

Awkward silence stretched between them. Haruhi fiddled nervously with her fingers, not knowing what to do. And, damn, why did he have to stare at her like that?

"Your hair's longer," Kyouya said in a very unKyouya-like manner. Haruhi wanted to laugh, of all things to say, it had to be her hair. But she held her breath as he leaned closer and caressed her fringe.

"Uh, yeah," she muttered hesitantly and froze under his soft touch. He didn't say anything else which made her more anxious. Another long silence engulfed them as he continued to caress her hair. Finally, Haruhi could no longer take it, thinking that she might go crazy if this carried on.

"Kyouya..."

The Shadow King paused, knowing what's coming next.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked slowly.

Kyouya's hand slid down her neck, sending a trail of good bumps on her back. It stayed there as he searched her face like the way Haruhi remembered when he wanted to say something.

"What is it?" she urged gently.

"I don't know where to start," Kyouya whispered. For the very first time in his life, Ootori Kyouya, the Shadow King who knew everything, said those words in the same sentence.

Haruhi gingerly put her hand over the one resting on her neck, "Why don't you start at the beginning?"

Kyouya chuckled soundlessly. "I don't even know where's the _beginning_," he sighed and willed his eyes to meet her inquisitive look. "But all I know is that I owe you a lot of apologies."

"Why?" Haruhi honestly didn't know why he was apologizing. Was it because he felt obligate to do so? Or was it because he wanted her back? The thoughts scared her. What if he just came here to say sorry for everything and left her again? She couldn't take that heartache from him. Again. But what if he really wanted her back? That, she didn't have an answer and she didn't want to get her hopes up. Again.

"I'm not asking you to forgive me but I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you," he said. Those mysterious dark eyes smoldering as he stared deep into her. "I'm sorry for being a coward and I'm so sorry for everything. I love you, Haruhi. So much that it hurts."

Haruhi heard what he said as clear as crystal. But she couldn't understand it. So much for being a scholar student, she was dumbfounded. His every word hung heavily in her heart, making it impossible not to believe him.

Kyouya scooted closer to her and loosely wrapped his arms around her waist. He was relieved that Haruhi didn't pull away; she even seemed to relax a little. But the look on her face was like a complicated math problem. He suppressed a smile and asked, "You do know what I'm saying, don't you?"

"I _do_ know what you're saying but honestly, I don't understand any of it," Haruhi admitted with her forehead scrunching up cutely. "_I'm sorry_ and _I love you_ don't mix together very well."

"Haruhi, there's something I've been meaning to tell you since that night at the graduation party," Kyouya paused when Haruhi dropped from his gaze.

She felt a stinging pain in her heart when she recalled the event. The moment Yoshio announced his engagement...

"Look at me, Haruhi," Kyouya said in that low, persuasive voice of his and nudged her gently. She reluctantly looked back at him.

"I want you to know that from the very beginning, and I'm talking about the two years we spent together, it never crossed my mind to break up with you," Kyouya continued. "Not even once. But my father..."

Haruhi perked up. _What does Ootori Yoshio had to do with this?_

"Somehow, he knew we were dating and he warned me about getting myself too involved to you. I didn't listen, of course. I ignored him until one day, he must be so fed up he dropped a nuclear bomb on me." Kyouya chuckled darkly.

Haruhi remained unmoving as she waited for him to continue.

"Do you know what he said?"

She shook her head.

"He said he's going to make _your_ life a living hell."

"What?" she frowned. How did she get stuck in the middle of an Ootori equation?

"That old man..." he said through his gritted teeth. "He played dirty. He used you against me because he knows you're my weakness." Kyouya didn't say it like it was a bad thing, he said like it was a precious thing needed to be protected.

Despite the dark anger coming off him, Haruhi could finally see a bright light on that agonized shadow over his face. She felt relieved as if a ton of weight was lifted off her shoulder. Now she knew the _real_ reason: he did it for her. Because he loved her.

_I'm doing this for the both of us. For you,_ she remembered him saying. Why didn't she notice it before? She knew his father wasn't fond of her but why didn't she think about that possible reason? Haruhi felt a pang of guilt. Kyouya dealt with the whole situation _alone._ She should've been there for him. They should've faced it together. She could only imagine how hard it was for him. It wasn't just her who'd been suffering all these time; Kyouya was hurting, too. So much more than her.

For the second time that day, Haruhi threw herself at him. She encircled her slim arms around his neck and pulled him tighter.

Kyouya blinked then eased down under her bear hug. He unconsciously smiled as he hugged her back. At that moment, he knew she understood. He knew he had the second chance and that it wasn't too late for them to start again. There was still a lot of explaining to do for the both of them but for now, they would like to stay a little longer in each other's comfort.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Kyouya," Haruhi chanted over and over again.

"Why are you apoligizing?" Kyouya chuckled as he patted her back, feeling elated at the turn of the table.

"I knew something was weird about it. I should've forced it out on you that night but I was just so hurt and I left and I didn't even tell you that I'm transferring here and-"

"I know, I know. It's not your fault, Haruhi." Kyouya pulled back and cupped her face. She had that cute crease between her eyebrows again and her lips were almost pouting.

"Why didn't you tell me in the first place?" she demanded.

"I didn't want to tell you because I know you're not going to let go without a fight and I don't want to ruin your dreams," he sighed. "If I had stayed with you and defied my father, you're probably in Japan right now, out in the street with no money, no job and no awesome scholarship in Harvard."

Haruhi grimaced. That's a very big possibility. "Damn, rich bastards," she muttered.

"Believe me, I know what he can do," Kyouya said seriously.

"Do you think you did the right decision? To follow what your father wanted, I mean."

"No," he admitted. "There is no such thing as _right decision_ when you chose the "right" things over the things that will make you happy. Choose what you think is the best for yourself... then, that's the right decision."

Haruhi smiled, thinking about how true his words were. "You've just realized that now, haven't you?"

"I've already realized it the moment I said my very first _I love you_ to you," Kyouya said. "But I was numbed by fear when my father threatened me. I couldn't stand it if he did something to you because of me, I-"

"Sshh," Haruhi put her index finger on his lips to silence him. "It's alright, I understand now. You did it for me and I am very grateful, thank you." As if she couldn't help herself, she pecked him on his cheek then smiled so innocently.

Kyouya gaped at her. He hadn't anticipated that kind of attack. He chuckled and shook his head in amazement. Really, she's the only one who could take him by surprise.

"I feel like I'm dreaming," he said. "And that I'm about to wake up because this is just so good to be true. I feel like when I open my eyes, I will lose you again."

Haruhi clapped her hand on his cheeks and pressed his face playfully. "Sorry to burst your dramatic bubble, but I'm absolutely real," she rolled her eyes and giggled like a two-year-old.

Kyouya looked at her like he was seeing the sun for the first time. He missed the lovely sound of her giggles and that faint blush across her cheeks. His thumb brushed her lower lip; how he missed kissing that.

The petite girl paused; her eyes softened at the puppy look of Kyouya's face. She still had her hands on his cheeks, caressing it with her thumbs, just like what he was doing.

"I'm not going to leave you ever again," he whispered.

"Hey, I'm the one who left," she pointed out.

"You know what I mean."

Haruhi sighed exasperatedly. "I know. I understand now and that's the end of it. I missed you, I love you, we're here together and that's all what matters. End of discussion."

Kyouya laughed. God, how he loved her so much. Once he sobered, the room was filled with comfortable silence. The calm mood changed into an active electromagnetic field as Kyouya leaned forward slowly, still holding on to Haruhi's wide-eyed gaze until he watched them fluttered close and his lips finally touched hers.

The kiss started out soft and slow, like they were relishing the moment. Then all the pent up emotions for the past two months turned the kiss into something much more powerful and passionate.

They kissed like they've never kissed before. Kyouya pulled Haruhi until she was sitting on his lap. His one hand stroke her back sensually; the other on her nape, keeping her close while Haruhi's hands were all tangled up in his hair.

And they pretty much spent the whole night making out on Kyouya's couch.

**:::**

**02/10/13 OWARI**

**:::**

SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:

Okay, people! First of all, I am quite aware of the leaking OOCness, I'm terribly sorry about that. But man, how I wish I could fanfic the perfect guy for me, hahaha!

Yeah well, anyway, chapter eight is so done. It was... freaking cheesy. Haha! I've been known here for writing super cheesy scenes and lines that even I got nauseated by my own work, LOL!

But let me say, I imagined the whole scene in Kyouya's apartment under dim, romantic lights while they were talking. How about you? How did you imagine this chapter?

As always, thank you for reading Spring Petals! The reads, reviews, favorites and follows mean so much to me, thank you!

I hope you like my update despite the leaking OOCness. Tehee! Till next time, natsu_no_sora over and out.

**PS:** (I always forgot to put this note in my previous chapters.) I think Harvard University doesn't have a high school department. My story is purely fictional.


	9. Area of Responsibility

"Right Here Waiting" Revised Edition 2013 © natsu_no_sora

**Ouran High School Host Club 2002 © Hatori Bisco**

I do not own anything. Support the mangaka by buying her works.

* * *

**:::**

**Chapter 09: Area of Responsibility**

**:::**

Haruhi stirred in her sleep. Something's pulling her towards consciousness. Something... like a dream she must remember. She moaned and turned on the soft bed. She knew there was something _very_ important she must remember. She laid flat on her back and slowly opened her eyes.

The dark wood ceiling made her blink. _Wait, that's not right. My ceiling is white,_ she thought. Then the events of last night came, flashing like neon bulbs in her head. With a surprised jolt, she sat straight up on the bed.

"Urgh..." she groaned as the sudden head rush made her dizzy. She closed her eyes tightly and held her head.

"Hey," a warm voice made her looked up.

"Kyouya?" she frowned. She felt so disoriented she couldn't piece the memories and dreams in their right places.

Kyouya sat on the bed beside her and smiled. "Hello, sleepyhead," he greeted.

Haruhi stared at him. "How come you're up earlier than me?"

"Well, I'm usually up at around eleven on weekends."

She gasped, "What time is it?"

"A few minutes after one in the afternoon," he answered as he tried to tame her wild hair with his fingers.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" She flexed her stiff shoulders and stopped when she noticed that she wasn't wearing _her_ blouse. She was wearing oversized black t-shirt and she couldn't feel the tight jeans around her thighs.

Kyouya noticed her gaping at his t-shirt and smirked. He inched closer and whispered seductively, "Don't tell me you don't you remember what we did last night?"

At first, she just looked at him blankly. Then Haruhi turned beet red. Oh God, they didn't do _that_, did they? All she remembered was the talk and the burning hot make-out on the couch. But other than that, she didn't remember stripping off her clothes. _Did he drug me last night?_

Kyouya pressed his lips in a tight line to suppress the urge to laugh out loud. Haruhi glared at him and that did it; he cracked up.

"What's so funny?" she demanded angrily.

"Your face," he continued to chortle. "You should've seen it."

"Oh, shut up." Haruhi shoved him and untangled the comforter around her. She was ready to jump off the bed but Kyouya held her back, grinning like an idiot.

"Sorry, I'm just teasing you," he said. "I had the maid change your clothes since you were sleeping like a log."

Haruhi narrowed her eyes and smacked his forehead. "You know I hate when you do that," she said gruffly. She'd been dating the Shadow King for years and who could've thought that he had a playful side on him? She was used to his teasing but that didn't mean she liked it.

"Yeah, I know. But the look on your face was just priceless," Kyouya chuckled and helped her up. Haruhi stood on the bed, looking like a scarecrow in her large t-shirt, baggy pants and stuck up hair.

"Where are my clothes?" she asked as she hopped off with Kyouya holding her hand.

He pointed to the cabinet, "Washed and folded."

"Oh. Thanks," she mumbled.

"You can take a shower if you want but let's eat first." He dragged her out the bedroom.

The kitchen was small but neat. The interior was the same brilliant white paint in contrast of dark wood panels. There was no dining table, just a breakfast nook with three high chairs. On the counter, beside a state-of-the-art stove, was a square plate with scrambled eggs, fried ham and a loaf of bread.

"Did you cook all that?" Haruhi sat on one of the high chairs while Kyouya brought the plate in front of her.

"No. I have a maid to do that for me," he answered and sat beide her.

"Rich bastard," she muttered.

Kyouya just smirked. "Eat up." He handed her a fork.

Silence engulfed them. Kyouya watched Haruhi poked the ham absently, like she was in a very deep thought. He knew that look.

"Tell me what you're thinking," he said softly.

"Kyouya," she started, avoiding his prying eyes and still poking the poor ham. "Are you...are you going back to Japan? I mean, you were looking for me, right? But now you found me, does that mean you're going back home?" she asked. The thought of him leaving again embedded in her mind and the breakfast didn't seem to be delicious.

For the second time that day, much to her surprise, Kyouya laughed out loud. "No, Haruhi. I told you I'm not going to leave you again, didn't I?"

"But you have to go to school," she said, finally looking up to see his beaming face.

"Don't worry, ma'am, I am not neglecting my studies," he reached over and smoothened her wrinkled eyebrows with his index finger. "I'm currently enrolled in a university here. Guess where?" he added playfully.

"There are about a dozen universities here, how am I supposed to..." She lost her voice as images from the past days swirled and boomed inside her head: the same figure in the garden, the glimpses in the canteen and silhouettes in the hallways. Haruhi blanched. _Of course_ she wasn't hallucinating or going crazy. It was _really_ the sly Shadow King.

Haruhi widened her eyes. "You're studying in Harvard," she gasped.

"Medicine department," he confirmed.

"I knew it," she mumbled, mentally smacking her head. She remembered that the medical building was located near the garden. "It was really you."

"Me?" He looked at her confusedly.

"These past days, I've been seeing glimpses of you around the garden, and practically everywhere I look. I thought I was going crazy," she admitted shyly.

"Oh, I see," Kyouya grinned. _So you're the one watching over me,_ he thought, smiling.

"How'd you know I'm studying in Harvard?" she asked.

"I didn't know you were studying there until last night, Haruhi. The Chairman didn't tell us exactly where - oh, shit..." Kyouya cursed; he remembered his friends scrambling around the country looking for the girl in front of him. He still hadn't call them to inform that he'd already found her.

"What?" she prompted.

"Tamaki and the others... they're flipping over the whole continental US searching for you,"

Haruhi blinked while it registered in her brain. "What?!" she yelped. She knew they would be wondering about her. But the thought of them, _flipping over_ America, was just pure terror; what with Hunny-senpai's and Mori-senpai's capability; the twin devils, not to mention Tamaki-senpai... she shuddered.

Kyouya started to explain. "When we found out you left the country without telling _exactly_ where in the world you were going," he narrowed his eyes on her disapprovingly. "And don't you ever do that again."

Haruhi blushed and muttered, "I said I'm sorry, didn't I? And whoever told you to search for me?"

"I don't need someone to tell me to find you," Kyouya said deadpanned. Haruhi pursed her lips. "Anyway, the next day after the party, I went to your house. Tamaki and the others were also there-"

"Wait, the day after the party?" she asked, laughing. "That was the day I flew off!"

"I know and it's not funny. I was going out of my mind with worry and I still had to deal with this idiot Tamaki and you don't want to know what's he like during those times coz it'll give you cancer." He paused, then he looked at her with suppressed smile and Haruhi's giggles turned to laughter.

"Cancer?" she mouthed between fits of laughter.

"That was the most insane two months of my life," Kyouya added with an amused shake of his head.

"I don't want to be near him once he learns you found me," she said.

"Hmm..." He took the fork from her and did the honor of putting food in her mouth. "Last time I talked to him, he was in Illinois," he said.

Good thing she already swallowed the piece of ham or she'd probably choked to death. "Illinois?! What the hell is he doing there?" Haruhi blurted out. Remembering how Tamaki can be whenever it concerns her, she sighed. "Kyouya, how exactly did you all intend to find me? Were you really planning to turn America inside out?"

"_They're_ currently doing that, as a matter of fact," he smirked.

"Oh, that is so stupid. Where are the others?"

"Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai are in California. The twins went back to Japan two weeks ago but before that, they were rummaging New York. And me, well... since my father kicked me off here, this is my area of responsibility," he beamed.

Haruhi made a face. "I don't understand how you divide your area of responsibilities. I mean, seriously? Why did you ever think I was in California or in New York? That's not just a wild guess, is it?"

"Hey, since _you_ refused to tell your father where you are, we tried tracking the phone numbers you use when calling Ranka but Ms. Fujioka Haruhi-" he tapped the tip of her nose with his finger fondly, "-is so clever enough to use pay phones which numbers appeared unknown on our tracking device-"

"Freaking stalkers," she muttered. But in the back of her mind, she knew they would resort to that method. Somehow, it made her felt happy; knowing that she got friends who treasured her so much.

"Say whatever you want," he rolled his eyes. "But that method was proven fail so we turned to Tamaki's father who was on a business trip in Europe. We waited for two months to talk to him and when he finally got back, the old man also refused to say anything. Do you know how much I wanted to strangle him at that time?"

Haruhi puffed her cheeks to keep from laughing. "Sorry, I made him swear not to tell anyone," she snickered. Looking back at it now, it was strangely funny to hear his side of story.

Kyouya sighed contentedly as he memorized that carefree laughter from her. "Yeah, but he gave us a hint which leads us here."

"What hint?"

"The Chairman said you have been accepted to one of the most prestigious universities here. I searched the latest list of the topmost and Tamaki divided it according to locations. I got the New England area since I'm studying in Harvard," he explained.

Haruhi looked at him intently for a long time. She felt silly thinking that Kyouya didn't care about her anymore. But he did. And he was there now, telling her how much trouble he'd been through just to be with her again. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

"For what?" Kyouya tilted his head curiously.

"For finding me, for caring for me, and for loving me. Thank you." She leaned forward and pecked his lips.

Kyouya chuckled. He had always loved the sudden burst of warmth whenever she initiated a kiss. "You have forever to pay me back," he whispered and resumed feeding her.

"When are you going to tell the others?" Haruhi asked after a moment of comfortable silence.

"When do you want me to?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. She knew she would have to say goodbye to the peaceful life she have once they were informed. She would have to deal with her friends' endless antics and drama again.

"Well, I'd like to monopolize you just a bit more so I'll let them know some time later," Kyouya said, smiling that evil, calculating smile again.

"Tell them tomorrow. Or the next day," Haruhi suggested, feeling guilty about hiding _another_ important matter. She also owed them an apology. "I don't want them uprooting cities," she added.

Kyouya just shrugged and pursed his lips. "What do you want to do today?" He caught a stray lock of her long fringe and tucked it behind her ear.

"I don't know. What do _you_ want to do?"

"Cuddle you and kiss you all day." He smirked at her crimson face.

Haruhi stuck out her tongue. "I have to go back to my apartment."

"Don't leave," he said in the pleading voice he knew she couldn't resist.

"I have to go home," she insisted, taking a glance on the wall clock. It was almost two in the afternoon. She should be finishing her homework by now.

"I'll come with you."

"Kyouya..." she warned exasperatedly. But her stubborn boyfriend was already on his feet, holding out his hand to help her jump off the high stool.

"Where's your apartment?" he asked.

"Riverside. Wait, where are we?" she asked. Yesterday was quite a disorienting for her and she didn't notice where they were going.

"Brattle Street," he answered. "Your apartment is pretty far from here."

_Brattle Street... Oh, of course. Rich bastard,_ Haruhi thought. Brattle Street is one of the most historic places in America and its neighborhood is a well-known high class society. Prominent personalities and celebrities lived in the area.

"Shall we take a shower together? I'll scrub your back," Kyouya offered with the creepy smile again.

Haruhi whipped her head towards him with absolute horror on her red face. She dropped his hand like it electrified her. She pushed him aside, ran to the bathroom, screaming bloody pervert and slammed the door shut.

Kyouya doubled over, laughing like a maniac. Oh, how he loved teasing her. No matter how many times he'd seen that beautiful red blush, he'll never get tired of it. He'll treasure it for the rest of his life.

* * *

The afternoon sky was clear and perfect over Cambridge, like the storm never happened. The weather there is just _so_ unpredictable. The couple had a short sight-seeing stroll around Brattle Street, with Kyouya acting as Haruhi's tour guide, before driving off to her apartment.

Riverside was quiet, unlike his neighborhood. They walked hand-in-hand up to the third floor of the red-bricked apartment.

"It's not as fancy as your apartment but it's decent," Haruhi said. Fumbling through her keys, she finally opened the door.

The first thing Kyouya noticed was the fragrance in the room; it smelled like Haruhi. Very warm and homey. There was a love seat in the small living room, a coffee table and a small LCD in the center of a wooden shelf which was full of books. The huge glass window, partially covered with white curtains, overlooked the shimmering river.

"You got a nice view here," he commented. He walked over beside the window and pulled the curtains completely apart. The bright sunlight flooded into the room.

"Do you want something to drink?" Haruhi asked; her voice resonated somewhere, probably from the kitchen.

"Sure," he replied absently.

Haruhi entered the living room, carrying two cans of Pepsi. She momentarily paused at the sudden brightness. She saw Kyouya looking out at the waters. The sunlight wrapped around him, making him looked like a mirage. He seemed to be in deep thought; his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes were far away. She quietly approached him from behind and poked his back with the cold can, chuckling when he visibly flinched.

"What are you thinking?" Haruhi asked as she plopped down the floor, directly in front of the window.

Kyouya popped open the can and sat beside her, cross-legged. "I was wondering about the things I'll probably be doing had I not found you yesterday. Or if I didn't search for you."

They were both facing the clear glass, gazing over the peaceful flow of Charles River. Haruhi struggled to open her Pepsi can but her slim fingers didn't have enough strength. Kyouya took it and gave his can to her, instead.

"Well? What do you think you're doing if you weren't here?" she asked.

"I'll probably be in the maximum security asylum," he grinned.

"No," Haruhi disagreed. "I think you're probably engaged to _that_ girl," she mumbled almost incoherently.

Kyouya exhaled. He felt a stinging pain in his chest. He scooted closer to her until there was no space between them and rested his head on her shoulder. "That's a possibility," he said, thinking about how manipulative his father can be.

Haruhi didn't respond, just the thought of it made her stomach feel weird. She didn't like it.

"Haruhi, were you jealous?" he asked.

Haruhi snorted and rolled her eyes. She took a second before answering. "I wasn't jealous. I was... _hurt_."

"I'm sorry," he said almost inaudible.

"It's not your fault, I understand now. But at that time, I didn't. You know, I couldn't bear to stay there and listen to your father as he announced the engagement. I wanted to leave immediately but I didn't know how to get out of your freaking mansion." She chuckled to lighten up the mood.

Kyouya didn't say anything. He just took her hand and slipped his fingers through hers.

"Looking at her," she continued in a hushed whisper. "Beautiful, elegant and rich; exactly the kind of girl perfect for you. It made me feel so far away, like you're drifting away from my reach. And for the first time, I _hated_ being a commoner."

Kyouya squeezed her hand tightly. "Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't say that. You are _you_, regardless of your social status. No matter where you came from, be it in deepest pits of the poorest country or in the richest kingdom, I don't care. I love you because you are you."

"I know," she smiled and gave a grateful squeeze to his hand.

"The girl I was supposed to marry, Suzuki Mayu," Kyouya started. "She showed me how utterly coward I was."

Haruhi knitted her eyebrows, not sure what he meant. She watched their reflection on the glass; her curious expression and the peaceful face of Kyouya with his eyes closed, still leaning against her. His eyeglasses were a little crooked. He looked contented.

"What I told you last night, how my father threatened me... that was the first time I felt a numbing fear. So I did what he ordered me to."

"You did," Haruhi said softly. She didn't sound like she was admonishing him, rather, her tone sounded she was soothing him from his pain. "And we all have those first times."

"But Mayu, she is a very headstrong girl. We came to my father's office to talk about the sudden engagement which was a surprise to both of us," he continued. His eyes still closed and still gripping her hand, like a lifeline. "She was completely opposed to the engagement as I am, because she has a boyfriend; a normal guy with a simple life."

"Does she?"

"Yes. And she loves him so much she's willing to give up everything. I watched her stood her ground, defying everyone. I admired her," he sighed. "She made me realize that living is pointless if I'm not with you."

"I should thank her for knocking some sense in your head," Haruhi chuckled.

"Yeah..." Kyouya mumbled drowsily.

"How is she now?"

"I don't know, I haven't talk to her since then. But I'm sure she's fine. And for some unknown reasons, my father didn't seize their company."

"Really?" Haruhi blurted, genuinely surprised.

Kyouya chuckled. "I know me too."

Haruhi sipped the soda and leaned her head against his. Ah, maybe Ootori Yoshio wasn't _that_ heartless. The two stayed like that for a long time, talking about completely random stuffs, teasing and poking each other. Just like the old times.

When the sunrays were almost horizontal against the glass and their cans were long empty, Haruhi stood and stretched. Kyouya remained sitting, watching her. The thin blouse came up as she stretched her arms and her creamy tummy was exposed. Kyouya briefly wonder how soft it was to touch.

"Kyouya," Haruhi snapped him out of his reverie.

"Yes?" he blinked distractedly.

"Will you help me with my homework?" she asked, giving him her best puppy look.

An idea popped in his head. He smirked, "Of course, I'll help you. But you do know I want merits from everything I do, don't you?"

Haruhi rolled her eyes, some things never really change. If she weren't short on time, she wouldn't ask for his help. But she wanted to finish her assignments so she could relax the next day. "Fine. What do you want?"

Kyouya mockingly tapped his chin, as if he was really thinking about it. "Can I kiss your tummy afterwards?"

Haruhi stared at him for a full minute, unblinking. "Are you on drugs, Kyouya?" she asked seriously.

"Nope," he promised. "Will you let me kiss your tummy?"

"HELL NO!" Haruhi blushed. "Why would you want to kiss my tummy?!" She crossed her arms on her stomach and backed away nervously.

"It looks soft," he reasoned out.

"T-that's... You're crazy!" Haruhi turned away from him with burning red cheeks. She stomped over to the coffee table and pulled out her notes and pen. "I'll do this myself," she muttered as she folded herself on the floor.

"Suit yourself," Kyouya shrugged and smirked. He lounged behind her on the couch, enjoying himself as he watched her struggle to solve a complicated calculus problem.

Two hours later, he was sitting on the floor, patiently explaining the complex formula to his flustered girlfriend. Well, everyone knows that whatever the Shadow King wants, the Shadow King gets.

Now he wondered how he would kiss that soft, creamy tummy.

**:::**

**02/25/13 OWARI**

**:::**

SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:

Whew! Finally. I've finish my 9th chapter. It took me so long to construct this; I've got a major block in my head and "Safe Haven" really hooked me up. Plus, the school deadlines that are staring straight at me right now.

This chapter isn't something of major importance, I just want to emphasize those things between Kyouya and Haruhi are going steady again. Its lame, I know. But that's all I've really got. I'm sorry. Though, I still hope you like this :)

Thank you for reading! The reviews from the last chapter kept me motivated, thank you for that, too!

I honestly don't know what would happened next chapter but please continue to support Spring Petals, thank you. ^-^


	10. Round in Circles

"Right Here Waiting" Revised Edition 2013 © natsu_no_sora

**Ouran High School Host Club 2002 © Hatori Bisco**

I do not own anything. Support the mangaka by buying her works.

* * *

**:::**

**Chapter 10: Round in Circles**

**:::**

Another Monday was coming to an end for the students of Harvard. Some were enjoying the afternoon hanging out with friends in the garden while the others seemed eager to get away from the clutches of evil professors and brain-whacking lessons as they hurried to the gates. But a certain Japanese girl was still in the library, immersed in yet another book. Haruhi was reading as she usually did ever since the school year began.

But there was something different about her today: Her wide milk-chocolate eyes twinkled; the sad pout on her lips were replaced by a warm smile and Aaliyah noticed the pink glow on her pale complexion.

Well, Kyouya made all the difference. Just by being there, Haruhi felt like she was beginning to live again.

They had almost the same schedule so it wasn't hard for them to meet throughout the day. Haruhi recalled that morning when she was about to leave for school, Kyouya was there outside her apartment, waiting with the limo. During lunch break, he turned up in the high school's canteen to join her for lunch. She didn't miss the who-the-hell-is-this-cool-guy look from Aaliyah. When the bell rang, he told her to wait for him in library after school. Without waiting for her reply, he kissed her cheek and walked away. Haruhi had to spend the whole afternoon trying to explain to her friend that Kyouya, the "cool guy", was indeed her boyfriend.

* * *

Kyouya looked around the vast library until he spotted his girlfriend sitting alone beside the glass wall. She was frowning at the book like it offended her. She didn't notice him approaching. She didn't even look up when he sat down right in front of her.

"Hey," Kyouya reached out to touch her bangs.

Haruhi jolted and snapped her head up. "Kyouya," she gasped. "You startled me."

"Sorry. What are you reading?"

"Uhm, the second installment of 'The Lord of the Rings'. I haven't seen the movie but I think I like it," she beamed.

Kyouya nodded, mesmerized by her radiant smile.

"But it's a bit difficult to understand since it's slightly old English and the words are going round in circles," she complained.

He nodded again, an amused smile playing on his lips.

"But it's a good exercise for my English skills, right?"

He nodded again. He realized he missed that. He missed the way Haruhi would blubber to him just about everything. Sure, she's mostly quiet around other people but once she's alone with him, she talks nonstop. And he would just sit there, watching her pretty face morph into different expressions and listening to her complains and childish remarks. It makes him feel light and happy.

"I have a blu-ray collection of that movie in my apartment. We could watch it later if you want," he suggested.

"Maybe some other time. I have something to show you later." Haruhi closed the book and stood. She held out her hand to Kyouya. "Come on, I'm hungry."

Kyouya took her offered hand and trailed behind her as she pulled him towards the exit. "So, what exactly are you going to show me?"

"You'll see," she said. She presented her ID on the counter and checked the book out.

"Alright. Fine," Kyouya sighed.

The afternoon sun was still hanging high in the sky when they walked across the garden. They spotted Tachibana in the parking lot, dutifully waiting for his young master beside the limo. But Haruhi steered Kyouya away from the lot.

"Let's have a walk, shall we?" Haruhi tugged him towards to the opposite direction.

"To show me something?"

"Yep! It's just around the corner."

"You seem excited about this," Kyouya noticed.

Haruhi shrugged and smiled. "Maybe."

Kyouya waved dismissively at the waiting limo and let Haruhi pull him towards the commercial district of Brattle Street. They walked for a few minutes until they stopped at a restaurant with a sign that said: "Bertucci's".

"Bertucci's," Kyouya said, quirking an eyebrow.

Haruhi nodded and bit her lip. "A few months ago, I'd tried their spaghetti and I thought you might want to try it too, since I know you like spaghetti..." she mumbled shyly.

Kyouya chuckled softly; trust her to remember every little thing about him. "Well, this better be good," he smirked. He held the door open for her. "Let's eat?"

They were greeted by the same blonde waitress that tended to Haruhi before. They sat on the far corner. Kyouya roamed his scrutinizing eyes around the restaurant; it wasn't spacious but it wasn't too crowded either. The interior was elegant and beautiful; it could have been a high-class restaurant if it weren't for the ordinary dishes and cheap menu.

"We'll have two spaghetti, two cokes and garlic breads," Haruhi said to the waitress without looking at the menu.

"Coming right up." The blonde girl smiled and left.

Haruhi started talking about her day in class while she absently played with Kyouya's hands. And he just watched her like she was an award-winning film. He listened to her voice that resonated in his ears like lullaby.

"Have you called Tamaki-senpai?" Haruhi asked, pulling him out of his reverie.

"Not yet. Do you want to call him now?" Kyouya fished out his BlackBerry and gave it to her.

"Eh? Why me? _You_ call him," she shoved the phone to his hand like it electrified her. The idea of talking to the stupid King after months of missing was just horrifying. Tamaki would surely be like an oil tanker purposefully set in fire.

"Okay. _I'll_ call him, _you_ talk to him." Haruhi widened her eyes as Kyouya speed-dialed his best friend, giving her a mischievous smirk. Before she could react, he dropped the phone onto her hand just in time Tamaki picked up. She glared at him and listened to the other line.

_Hey, Kyouya! What's up?_ Tamaki cheerfully greeted.

Haruhi bit her lip. "Uh, Tamaki-senpai... it's me, Haruhi."

It took precisely three seconds before the words registered in the blonde's brain. Then it was followed by a loud clatter, like a china breaking.

_Haruhi?! As in Fujioka Haruhi? Is that really you?_

"Yes, it's really me. Listen, I-"

_HA~RU~HI~! _Tamaki squealed so loud she held the phone in arm's length and could still hear his high-pitched voice booming from the speaker. Kyouya snickered. She rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly. As expected, Tamaki went nuclear alert.

_Oh, Daddy misses you so much! Are you alright? Where are you? Are you doing fine? _he demanded.

"I'm-"

_Why didn't you tell us you were leaving the country? Why didn't you contact us sooner? We're so worried about you!_

"I know, I-"

_Wait, you're calling through Kyouya's phone? Are you with him? That's so great! When did you two meet? Is he-_

"WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT THE HELL UP AND LISTEN TO ME FIRST?" Haruhi snapped. She could feel the familiar Tamaki-inflicted madness coursing through her nerves again.

_Sorry,_ came a small voice from Tamaki.

Haruhi exhaled. She gave Kyouya the famous I'll-kill-you-later glare as he suppressed a chuckle. "To answer your first question: yes, I'm alright. Yes, I'm doing fine; I'm in Massachusetts all this time, dumb bunny! And yes, I'm with Kyouya-senpai right now. We've met yesterday in Harvard," she lied smoothly.

_Oh,_ he seemed dumbfounded. _So you're studying in Harvard, too?_ he asked in his cute-little-lost-puppy voice, like he couldn't believe he never thought about that.

"Yes. Now, where are you? I've heard you're flipping the entire continental US looking for me," she said.

_I'm here in Illinois. My dad didn't tell us exactly where you are so we'd launched a nationwide search for you and I'm so glad we've found you!_ he said in one breath.

"Stupid idiot," Haruhi mouthed. Kyouya held out a hand, asking for the phone. She made a face and handed it over.

"Tamaki," Kyouya said coolly.

_Kyouya! As expected from mommy, no one escapes that radar eyes yours!_ he cheered.

"Where are you?" he asked, his voice bored.

_Still in Illinois. Does anybody else know you found her?__  
_  
"No, not yet."

_Yosh! I'll tell them the good news! Hey, I'm going to arrange a flight for Boston tomorrow, will you two come and pick me up in the airport?_

Kyouya suppressed another sigh, "Fine. We'll see you then, bye."

_Hey, wait! I still want to talk to Haru-_

Kyouya cut the line and blocked Tamaki's number from calling. He looked at the curious girl in front of him and chuckled. "They're going to test your idiocy endurance tomorrow, Ms. Fujioka. So if I were you, I'd better prepare an extra 300-long mile of patience," he said.

Haruhi gasped. "Tomorrow?"

He nodded remorsefully.

"Does that mean I have to say goodbye to my peaceful, quiet life here?" she asked, her voice was childish and her wide eyes were innocent.

He smiled, "Apparently so."

She sighed dejectedly. They sat in companionable silence until she spoke again.

"You know..." Haruhi said hesitantly.

"Hm?" Kyouya tucked the stubborn bangs behind her ear.

"I think it's time we should tell them about us?" It came out a question rather than a statement. Haruhi wasn't really sure about it but she didn't want to lie to her friends anymore. And it'll be much easier to explain things to them.

"Do you want to?" Kyouya asked. He wasn't totally opposed to the idea of sharing their little secret to their friends, it's just that life is so much easier if they weren't involve. But like what they had talked about a million times before they "broke up", the host club had every rights to know and they were being unfair to them.

Haruhi nodded slowly, mentally preparing herself for a possible war outbreak.

"Okay. We'll take it slowly, though. We don't want them to drop unconscious, do we?" he said playfully.

Haruhi chuckled.

The waitress came back with their orders and laid it on the table. The heavenly fragrance of spaghetti and garlic bread made them temporarily forgot about the impending doomsday and possible war breakout, all which could happen tomorrow.

"Can I get you anything else?" the waitress asked sweetly.

The couple stared at each other and blinked. "No, thank you," they simultaneously answered, making the waitress chuckled.

"Okay! Enjoy your meal." With a slight giggle, she went away.

"Smells nice, isn't it?" Haruhi beamed, moving on to a much lighter conversation. She twirled the fork on her spaghetti but her eyes were on Kyouya.

The Shadow King nodded in agreement, "It does. How'd you know about this place?" He brought a cleanly spaghetti-wrapped fork into his mouth and chewed slowly. It _was_ delicious.

"I used to walk around this area when I first arrived. I had lunch here once and the same waitress said I should try out their spaghetti. So I did," she said. "After that, whenever I passed by here, I... think of you," she added quietly.

"Only when you passed by here?" Kyouya tilted his head in an adorable way that nobody ever thought he was capable of. "I think of you all the time," he said, pursing his lips.

"If I think about you all the time, I wouldn't get anything done. You're very distracting," she said bluntly.

"Distracting?" Kyouya smirked.

"Yes," she nodded. "And is that how _the_ proper Ootori Kyouya eats?" She clicked her tongue and pointed to his stained chin. She looked at him disapprovingly.

"Then be a good girlfriend and wipe it for me," he smiled innocently and handed her a table napkin.

Haruhi rolled her eyes but complied. She leaned forward and wiped the funny smudge off his chin.

"Besides," he said. "I'm _just_ Ootori Kyouya when I'm with Fujioka Haruhi."

A smile tugged at the corner of Haruhi's lips.

By the time they finished their meal, the setting sun made everything turn into fiery shades of orange and the first star was peeking through the darkening sky above. The couple sat in companionable silence, waiting for their bill. It had been a great day.

Until the BlackBerry on the wooden table buzzed.

Kyouya glanced at it and frowned. He paused for a moment as he seemed to be contemplating on whether or not he would pick it up. After a few more buzzes, he let out a frustrated sigh and answered it.

"Hello?" he greeted coldly. Haruhi watched her boyfriend's face barely making any emotion at all. She wondered who was calling.

"What?" he asked in a tone of disbelief. He glimpsed at her cautiously, which made her feel a bit nervous. "Did he say why?" He paused and listened to whoever it was on the other side. Then: "Fine," he snapped and shut off the phone. He looked at it like he was thinking of smashing it on the table.

"Who was that?" Haruhi asked softly. She doesn't usually poke her nose into other people's business but the familiar heavy gaze Kyouya was throwing at her was unsettling and it always meant bad news.

"My brother," he answered. And it was pretty much enough to explain the sudden dark atmosphere around him.

_Oh. Bad news,_ Haruhi's brain confirmed. "What did he want?"

Kyouya stared deep into her eyes, "My father wants to talk to us. Tomorrow, after school."

She mentally winced, _A really, really bad news._ "Okay... it's official, doomsday is upon us."

Kyouya laughed half-heartedly. Then he sighed. "Haruhi," he said seriously. "I may be asking too much from you but..." his voice dropped to whisper and spoke in a very unKyouya-like manner, "...I can't let you go. No matter what happens, please stay with me." _No matter what my father's plan, I'm not going to let you go._

Haruhi smiled. "What do you mean _asking too much_? Of course, I'll stay with you. Do you think I'll let you go off that easily again?" She looked into his dark eyes as if searching his soul, "I'm not going to let you deal with this alone. You've done that already, Kyouya. Besides, this is _our_ problem, isn't it? We're going to face this together."

Kyouya nodded and caressed her knuckles with his thumb. "Okay," he breathed.

"Hey, what could happen? We are the great first and third demons, we can do anything," she grinned brightly.

Kyouya laughed again, completely coming out of his dark trance. "Yeah, we can do anything."

"As long as we're together."

* * *

The ride to Haruhi's apartment was quiet. Neither talked much. Though they kept their fingers laced together, they were both lost in their own thoughts.

Haruhi had a good hunch of what conversation they would be having with Ootori Yoshio. It might not be nice but she's going to take it all, she's going accept all the possible insults and hurtful words from that arrogant man, if it meant staying with Kyouya. She _have_ to be strong for the both of them.

The car stopped. Kyouya squeezed her hand before he slipped off his fingers from her grasp. They got out and went up the stairs to Haruhi's unit.

"So..." Haruhi turned to Kyouya once she opened the door and looked at him, wide-eyed. He knew she was thinking about the upcoming meeting with his father. Even though she'd put up such brave facade, he knew deep inside her, she was as nervous as he was.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow," he smiled.

Haruhi nodded, still gazing at him in a way that said she needed a hug.

Kyouya exhaled and pulled her in his arms. "Please don't think too much about tomorrow, okay?" he whispered in her ear. He felt her nod and her slim arms around his body.

"What about Tamaki-senpai and the others? They'll be coming here tomorrow, too," she reminded him in a drowsy voice, muffled against the crook of his neck.

"They're the least of our worries now. Just let them be, we'll deal with them afterwards."

"Hmm-mm," she nodded again.

"Tired?" he cupped her face and chuckled at her dropping eyelids. "You should go in and sleep."

"Yeah," she agreed but she didn't make any move to go inside her darkened apartment.

"Goodnight then," Kyouya leaned closer and kissed her sweetly. "And thank you for the delicious spaghetti," he added with a crooked smile.

"We should do that again," she said.

"Which one? The kiss?"

Haruhi laughed, "No, I meant the spaghetti!"

Kyouya grinned. "Okay, maybe on Thursday. I can't go on Wednesdays, I have extra subject in the afternoon."

"Okay!" she beamed. There was no guarantee that after tomorrow, things would stay the same way as they were now but Kyouya planned their little date as if tomorrow would never exist; as if nothing would change after their talk with his father. She loved him for that.

"Call me if you need anything," Kyouya said.

"I know," she smiled. And before he could step back, Haruhi caught his hand and kissed him full on the lips. It was brief but enough to make his brain temporarily blank.

"Goodnight, Kyouya."

He chuckled. "You love assaulting me with surprise attacks, don't you?"

She smirked, her face full of teasing smugness.

"Can I have another one?"

"No! Go home, Kyouya!" She stuck out her tongue childishly and slammed the door shut to his face. He chuckled and ran his hand through his raven hair.

"Yeah, I love you, too, Haruhi," he said, feeling silly talking to the door but he knew she was still listening from the other side. He heard the familiar giggle followed by a hurried stomping of feet.

He smiled contentedly and walked away with a fierce determination of never letting anything or _anyone_ come between them.

**:::**

**03/18/13 OWARI**

**:::**

SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:

FINALLY!

Guys, I'm still alive! Please don't bury me in the depths of Tartarus! I'm so sorry for the very late update! m(_ _)m

First of all, the iPod app I use to type my stories in was accidentally deleted (by my cute, little brother), along with all of my years' worth of hard work and eye-bags. It's probably fine with me (since I could download it again and retrieve all my stories), if it weren't for the fact that the app is updated and my humble 2nd gen iPod cannot f***ing support it anymore. I had a good cry over it, y'know.

This unfortunate chapter (which I was a few words away from being finish) was included in the tragic end of my other stories so I had to write it ALL OVER AGAIN. But the thing that made me cry even more was the bold, uppercased STUPIDITY written across my forehead because of not backing up this f***ing chapter.

Anyway, after agonizing weeks of rewriting this, I am so happy to update "Spring Petals"! I hope you haven't given up on this story like how I felt a few weeks ago.

Someone had invented this concept of "getting over" and "moving on" which I exactly did, so let's get on to the story: I'm sure you have notice the repeating scenes of "tucking hairs", "holding hands", "playing with someone's fingers", and whatnots. Well, for me, those little things keep the story cuddly and snuggly romantic. I mean, those gestures always makes me want to fall in love. LOL. Cheesy, I know. But it'll leave you wanting to have someone doing those sweet gestures to you, right? Don't deny yourselves! Haha!

Oh. And there goes Ootori Yoshio again, destroying my favorite couple's story. -_-

Sorry for the long rambling, it's just that... I've missed you, guys! *sniff* Thank you for dropping by!

Meet me again soon! :)

**PS:** I THINK next chapter is the last... but I'm not so sure. Let's just see how things are going to turn.


	11. The Invincible

"Right Here Waiting" Revised Edition 2013 © natsu_no_sora

**Ouran High School Host Club 2002 © Hatori Bisco**

I do not own anything. Support the mangaka by buying her works.

* * *

**:::**

**Chapter 11: The Invincible**

**:::**

Haruhi woke up from her uneasy sleep just as the sun began to rise. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She looked at the digital clock on her bedside table; it said 5:47 in a promising bright Tuesday morning. Her first class won't start until 8:30; she still got a few more hours to sleep. But she couldn't. No matter how tired she felt, she just couldn't seem to shut her brain and eyes down.

With an exasperated sigh, Haruhi slid off her bed and pushed aside the curtain, letting the first rays of sun to flood her room.

Tuesday. It had come.

Haruhi didn't have any grudge against Tuesday but that particular morning, she briefly thought of how to push the sun back into the horizon and stop doomsday from starting. She was nervous, of course. This day, she would meet Kyouya's father not as a schoolmate or a friend but as _his girlfriend._

* * *

_Good morning, Kyouya! How are you? Have you seen Haruhi in school today? Tell her that we'll be there tonight! See you!_

_Kyouya! I'm arriving in Logan Airport at 1640 today, the twins' plane will land a few minutes after, Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai will be there, too! Can we stay in your house?_

_By the way, don't bother to pick us up; I have my car waiting for us. I need to know your address, though. Call me ASAP!_

That was only three out of ten voice messages that Tamaki had piled up in Kyouya's phone all morning. It was the top three messages that made sense to him, the others were just incoherent ramblings about stupid things.

He closed his eyes and felt a pulsating pain between his eyebrows. He got a more serious thing to deal with than calling his nutcase of a best friend. But he did anyway.

"Tamaki," he greeted in his usual cool voice.

_Kyouya! I'm so glad you called me back. My plane will arrive at-_

"I know, Tamaki, you don't have to tell me again."

_Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai and the twins-_

"I know that, too," he cut him off. "You were asking for my address, weren't you? So shut up and listen, go straight to Brattle Arms Apartment, 60 Brattle Street. That's in Cambridge."

_Roger that, mommy! Where's Haruhi?_

"She's still in class right now," Kyouya answered. He was standing in the hallway near the high school department, waiting for her class to finish.

_Tell her I said hi! _There was a pause in the line and Kyouya heard a female's voice over the intercom, announcing in a robotic voice. _Oh, I've got to go now, I'm checking-in. See you!_ Tamaki said excitedly.

"Yeah, see you later," he said and pressed the end button. At least, he didn't have to worry about the host club for another couple of hours.

A loud rang finally echoed through the hallways after an hour of waiting. Chattering erupted from the line of classrooms. Haruhi emerged from one of the rooms with Aaliyah clinging to her. She looked tired, like she was ready to drop on the floor and hibernate. Judging by the dark circles under her eyes, he knew she didn't get enough sleep last night.

Haruhi's eyes found Kyouya and somehow, it twinkled momentarily. She said something to Aaliyah, making the girl glanced at him. She whispered to Haruhi, giggling excitedly. Haruhi blushed as she playfully shoved the blonde. Then Aaliyah waved goodbye, casting another glance towards his direction.

Typical high school girls. Kyouya smiled.

Haruhi approached him and smiled back. "Hi," she breathed.

"Hi," he greeted back warmly. "Are you ready?" he asked, holding out a hand to her.

"As I'll ever be," she exhaled sharply. Excitement and nervousness blending together in her expression as she took his offered hand.

The couple walked casually to the parking lot where Kyouya's limo was waiting. Tachibana held the door open for Haruhi and she shyly muttered her thanks.

"Where are we meeting your father?" she asked curiously, scooting closer to him.

"In Boston. Mandarin Oriental hotel," Kyouya said.

Haruhi nodded and they succumbed into a quiet ride with the soft humming of the engine in background.

"How was your day?" Kyouya spoke. He wanted to keep their tension at bay so he opened up a light conversation with his girlfriend.

"Okay... I guess," Haruhi mumbled and shrugged.

"You didn't seem to sleep last night," he commented.

"Neither did you," she countered with a chuckle and sighed. "I just couldn't sleep and I think we both know why."

"Yeah, me too," Kyouya agreed.

Haruhi squeezed his hand, "We'll get through this. And then we can have a long, goodnight's sleep."

"With Tamaki and the twins here? No, I don't think we can have the real definition of goodnight's sleep."

Haruhi laughed, "Yeah, you're right!"

* * *

As the couple drove their way to Mandarin Oriental Boston, a Delta Airline plane carrying a certain Suoh Tamaki was about to descent from the sky on to the runway of Logan International Airport.

In the lounge area, the inseparable pair of Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai was oblivious to their busy surroundings as they enjoyed a serve of strawberry shortcake and English tea while waiting for the arrival of their friends.

Just as Tamaki set his foot down on the solid ground, another plane from Japan was about to land. Touching down on the runway 4R/22L at exactly 1700 hours, a Japan Airline Boeing 747 was bringing the Hitachiin twins on America's jurisdiction. They were stiff and tired. They sat for over 13 hours already and their legs went sleeping. But the excitement of seeing Haruhi again made their brains restless.

It was expected that the host club would be completed once again in less than an hour.

* * *

Haruhi and Kyouya arrived in front of a sophisticated building in Boylston Street after a 14-minute drive from Cambridge to Boston. The car idled in front of a spotless glass door that had a simple inscription of Mandarin Oriental on top.

Kyouya could feel his girlfriend's hand dropping its temperature in an alarming rate. He grasped it tightly, making Haruhi winced.

"Ow! What was that for?!" she yelped.

"You're turning into a snowman, Haruhi," he said, kissing her cold knuckles.

Harsh blushed. "I-It's not like I can control my temperature," she said indignantly. "I'm a warm-blooded human, unlike some cold-blooded, calculating Shadow King I know," she muttered childishly.

Kyouya laughed softly and released her hand. "It's okay, I'm nervous, too. Come on, let's meet my father."

They got out of the black limo into the carpeted porch of the hotel. Haruhi could see the elegant interior from the outside through the glass doors which automatically opened when they stepped up in front of it.

The lobby was just superb. Everything was sparkly, like they were bathing in liquid gold. Expensive. Aristocratic. And some more expensive. The walls were decorated with assorted paintings. A majestic chandelier hung above, like ice drops. Exclusively-designed furnitures scattered around and endless ornaments here and there.

People come and go. Some in suits and office attires. Some in their fashionable casual outfits. But every one of them were screaming _I am a rich bastard!_ Haruhi resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She quietly followed Kyouya's lead while unconsciously holding on to him like a lost kid.

They approached a line of front desks. A Caucasian man in black suit and tie greeted them politely... and curiously as he appraised their looks: a teenage couple in casual clothes just got off a limo and now walking in a five-star hotel. They don't encounter something like that in Mandarin Oriental on a daily basis.

"Kyouya Ootori," the Shadow King said impassively. "We're here to see Yoshio Ootori."

"Ah," the man nodded as if confirming his suspicions. The resemblance between father and son must've been quite obvious. The man glanced on his computer monitor and cleared his throat. "Certainly, Young Master. Mr. Ootori is waiting for you in Asana, the restaurant down this hallway, sir." He gestured to the long hallway on the right side of the main door.

"Thank you," Kyouya nodded once and they walked towards the direction pointed.

"Young Master?" Haruhi raised an eyebrow, her lips quirked on the sides as she slipped her fingers through his.

Kyouya just gave her a crooked smile.

"It suits you," she mused.

"You think so? Why?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. It just sounds... right, you know? But at the same time, it sounds funny."

"Why?" he asked again, genuinely curious.

"Because it sounds so medieval, like it came straight from the Middle Ages," she giggled.

Kyouya laughed. He never really thought about how it sounded to other people. All he knew was everyone called him _Young Master_ since he could remember.

The short conversation was cut off as they reached the entrance to Asana. Like the hotel, the restaurant was grandiose. But there, the over-all interior was more mellow and quiet. It was beautiful yet it had gone unnoticed by the couple. They were too worked up to give a damn to anything. They slowed down, dragging their feet across the carpeted floor and taking their time as awfully long as they could.

They both knew their doomsday formally started when a waitress approached them and without further delays, she led them to Ootori Yoshio. Kyouya and Haruhi trailed behind her silently. They could only reassure each other through their intertwined hands and meaningful glances.

* * *

"Kaoru, Hikaru!" Tamaki flailed his arms over his head frantically. He was sitting with Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai in Figaro when he spotted the twins coming out of the airport.

Kaoru (or was it Hikaru?) waved back and made their way to the cafe with only small backpacks as their baggage.

"Kao-chan, Hika-chan! Welcome back! Want some cupcakes?" Honey-senpai offered a box of chocolate cupcakes which they politely turned down.

"How's your flight?" Tamaki asked.

"Very long," they exhaled and sagged on the chairs.

"Would you like something to drink? I love their Vanilla Frost!" said the King.

"Yeah, we could do some drinks before we go to Cambridge," Hikaru yawned. "Oh, a cup of Cafe Au Lait, please," he said to a passing waiter.

"Cappuccino for me," Kaoru added.

"Another glass of Vanilla Frost, please."

"Strawberry cake!"

The host club exchanged stories as they waited for their order.

Never knowing that just ten minutes away from them, Kyouya and Haruhi were staring directly at their worst enemy.

* * *

"Ah, you're here," Ootori Yoshio put aside the documents and looked at the couple; his eyes lingered on their joint hands a little more than necessary. The two teens pretended not to notice and bowed respectfully.

"Father," Kyouya said.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Ootori," Haruhi smiled naturally.

The elder man nodded. "Ms. Fujioka, it's nice to meet you again. Have a seat please," he said. He observed as Kyouya pulled a chair for Haruhi and saw the brief, sweet smile the girl gave him.

"You called us, Father?" Kyouya, being an Ootori himself, got down to business as soon as he sat beside Haruhi.

Yoshio looked at them like he was thinking of a way to bankrupt a company. "Yes, I'm here to discuss a certain matter with you and I am sure you know what I'm talking about."

They didn't say anything as they waited for him to continue. He spoke soft and gently but that didn't ease the ominous atmosphere around them.

"You two are fairly aware that I don't like your attachment to each other," he said; direct and straight to the point.

Kyouya narrowed his eyes. His voice was harsh and cold, "If you're going to keep us apart-"

"Kyouya," Haruhi quietly warned him. She caught his hand under the table and squeezed it tightly. Kyouya looked at her and the message was clear on her face: Keep your calm. He exhaled and said nothing.

Yoshio watched them, amazed at the power Haruhi had over his son. He chuckled and turned to her, "You do know where the Ootori family stands in the society, do you not?"

Haruhi looked him in the eyes. "Yes, sir. I am quite aware of that," she answered cautiously.

"And you are well-aware of the fact that, in your common background, I don't approve of you to associate with my son."

"We are not asking for your permission," Kyouya muttered.

Yoshio ignored him. "Ms. Fujioka, I only want the best for the family and you are _not_ what I want for Kyouya."

Kyouya was on the verge of blowing things up. He was trying _very hard_ to control his leaking anger. His father had no rights to say those things because he was never a father to him. He had no rights to say those things to Haruhi. He doesn't know what's the best for Kyouya; he doesn't even know his own son.

Haruhi took a deep breath and willed herself to calm down. She knew there was something the old man wanted to say but he kept on going how much he despised her, like he was stalling. "What exactly are you trying to say, Mr. Ootori?"

Yoshio smiled; the girl seemed to have a laser eyes that could see through anything. "What I'm trying to say is..." he looked at her in a way a lion would to its prey. "How much do you need, Haruhi?"

A chill ran down her spine as a course of adrenaline rushed through her body. It was the first time she heard him calling her first name. But what struck her the most was his question. _How much do I need? What does he mean by that? Is he trying to bribe me to stay away from Kyouya?_

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kyouya's jaw clenched. He couldn't believe his father just said that. The swelling anger in his chest was about to burst in a matter of seconds and he had this enormous, urging desire to punch the living daylights out of the freaking old man. But Haruhi's death grip on his hand kept him from doing so.

"I don't want your money," Haruhi said through her gritted teeth. Her vision was dangerously turning red. She never felt so downright insulted in her entire life. Ootori Yoshio was really pushing it.

The old man still had the nerve to laugh. "No, you don't want my money," he agreed. "But you _need_ it."

The couple just stared at him like he just dropped from the sky. Why the hell would she need his money?

Yoshio sighed. "You see, Ms. Fujioka, Harvard granted my request to forfeit your scholarship."

* * *

The Team Host Club at the airport happily jumped into the King's limo, excited to see their long-lost friend. It was a twenty-minute drive from Logan Airport to Cambridge. But with current traffic, it would take forever to reach the other city so the driver suggested to take the Boylston Street route.

They didn't mind which way they go as long as they would end up in Kyouya's apartment. They were enjoying the beautiful afternoon ride, looking out the window and watching the bustling streets of Boston.

* * *

There was a beat of silence between the couple and the elder man. Haruhi felt like someone had just poked her heart with an electric shock prod. It thumped unevenly against her ribs. She was too stunned to react. Kyouya could only hang his mouth open in disbelief.

"Harvard University is no longer supporting your studies as we speak-"

"You can't do that!" Kyouya snapped.

"I can and I just did," Yoshio smirked at him, watching the rare outburst from his son. He never saw Kyouya in such distress situation and he was going to enjoy the view for a while.

"Why?" Haruhi spoke in a deathly quietness. _Why is he doing this? Does he really want to see me crumpled like an insignificant dirt under his feet that much?__  
_  
"Ah..." Yoshio straightened up on his sit like he was waiting and anticipating the question. He clasped his hands together on the table and looked at them intently. The real business was on. "Since my strategies of keeping you apart were proven ineffective, I'll settle to this one."

"Can you elaborate that one, sir?" Haruhi asked while Kyouya frowned, giving him the best what-the-fuck-are-you-talking-about look.

"You are smart, Ms. Fujioka," he started. "And now that you two came here with strong resolve of keeping your relationship together, I might as well have a use for that brain of yours."

The maddening anger was slowly replaced by utter confusion. "I don't understand..." she mumbled. A use for her brain? He wasn't thinking of exhuming her brain, was he? The silly thought made her stomach churn.

Yoshio eyed them both and sighed exasperatedly like he didn't want to say it but he got no choice. "I'm taking you under my wing, Fujioka Haruhi."

Silence. Long silence. Too much silence. Then the couple blinked as if coming out of trance.

"Excuse me?" Kyouya raised his eyebrows. He couldn't believe his ears. Did he hear it right? Did his father just say that? It wasn't a joke, right? As far as he knows, Ootori Yoshio never jokes around.

"You heard me," he said deadpanned. "I asked how much do you need... what I meant was your living expenses. Since I'm going to provide you with everything from now on, I want to know how much money you'll need."

For the first time in her life, Haruhi's mind went blank. She had Kyouya by her side. Her scholarship was gone. The father of her boyfriend was about to take over the expenses of her studies. Seriously, how could this old man made her life so complicated in a matter of minutes?

"I know this is so sudden," Yoshio said exasperatedly when they didn't respond. "But I'm tired of playing games with you two. So instead of keeping you apart, as I have said, we'll make use of you in my business."

Kyouya and Haruhi glanced at each other like, _What the hell's going on here?_

Yoshio continued to explain. "Haruhi will be under my financial supervision until she is capable of managing a vast corporation's legal issues."

"What?" Haruhi widened her milk-chocolate eyes.

"You want to be a lawyer, right? I'm going to support you until then and give you the full management of _all_ Ootori Empire's legal department. But for the mean time, I want nothing but excellent grades and academic performance fit for an Ootori," he said, his tone was full of pride.

Kyouya adjusted his glasses and unconsciously caressed his girlfriend's knuckles. "Father, you're putting her in too much pressure."

Yoshio shrugged. "That's all I can tolerate." He leisurely took a sip of his coffee like they were just discussing the weather. "If she really wants to be with you, then she'll have to comply with _our_ standards," he smiled almost apologetically.

Of course, Haruhi wanted to be with Kyouya. She was certain about it; the one thing that would never change. She was just overwhelmed by the surprising turns of events. It was too much but nothing that she couldn't handle. She knew she could do it. And knowing that Kyouya was there for her was more than enough to get through all these challenges.

"...Okay," Haruhi inhaled. "I'll do it."

Yoshio nodded approvingly. "I thought so. A bank account in your name has already been opened. I don't know your monthly living expenses but it has an initial deposit of $800,000 and a monthly allowance of $50,000-or depending on your needs-will automatically transfers to your account. I don't care how much money you spent, it's yours."

_$800,000... $50,000... Ridiculous,_ Haruhi thought as she mentally made a face. She looked at Kyouya for help but he didn't even flinch at the overly generous money in her account. Then she remembered he was raised that way. _Rich bastard._

"Also, your tuition fees in college is already settled, you don't need to worry about that."

"Oh. Uhm... Thank you," Haruhi said uncertainly. Her scholarship was forfeited but her college tuition fees were already paid and there was an overflowing amount of dollars in her bank account. Her world was tilting so rapidly it was scary.

"After this, I won't ever mingle with your relationship anymore. But keep in mind that I'm doing this for the gain of our family," he looked at Kyouya meaningfully. "And therefore, breakup is _not_ allowed."

Haruhi wanted to roll her eyes but she resisted the urge. The old man was making sure she'll end up marrying his son for his gain. Not that she didn't want to marry Kyouya, she just hated the idea of being tied to the Ootori Empire. She wanted him, not his whole stuck-up clan. But she had to accept that; it was part of who he was.

Yoshio fixed the documents spread on the table and slid it into a folder. He stood up and the two teens stood as well. The conversation was over. "I still don't approve of you, Ms. Fujioka," he reminded her, but his tone was warmer than before. "You need to show me that you are worthy of our family's name."

"I understand, Mr. Ootori," Haruhi replied, a newfound confidence lacing her voice. She was going to show this arrogant old man how a badass lawyer she can be. She smirked at the thought, "Thank you so much. Have a good night, sir."

"Goodbye, Father," Kyouya bowed stiffly. He didn't know what feel towards his father. He had left them alone but with heavy pressures on Haruhi's part. Should he feel thankful? Or should he resent him more? He didn't honestly know. His mind was swirling. All that mattered to him was they were together.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Yoshio turned back to them. "The apartment unit in Riverside is a property of Harvard. Considering that you are no longer a scholar of the university, you do not have the rights to live there. You can find your belongings in Brattle Arms Apartment, next door to Kyouya's unit. Goodnight, children," he smiled and walked away with his regal posture.

There was a moment of absolute stillness even after the old man disappeared from their sight. Then Kyouya pulled his frozen girlfriend in his arms. That seemed to thaw her out.

It had been a very tensed afternoon. They felt like they just stepped out of a bloody war zone. Keeping his arm around her waist, Kyouya led Haruhi out of the hotel. They stood silently on the porch, waiting for their ride home.

Reality dawned on them like a black veil being lifted from their heads. Haruhi clutched on to his t-shirt and weakly leaned on his chest. The huge wave of relief was making her legs shaky. Kyouya held her tighter.

"Kyouya..." she murmured. "We did it."

"Yes, we did," he whispered back. He put his lips on her forehead tenderly and didn't move until his adrenaline ebbed away.

Haruhi closed her eyes, concentrating all her senses to the warm, moist lips on her forehead. She encircled her slim arms around Kyouya's waist. She felt his fingers weaved through her hair and another hand on her back, caressing it softly.

People gave them odd looks, even the hotel staffs were glancing at them more than twice as they passed by. They're not fans of PDA. But at that moment, they couldn't care less. They had won and the victorious feeling was exhilarating. At that moment, it was _their _world. At that moment, nobody else existed.

Well, maybe except for the black limo passing on the street directly in front of the hotel.

One of the passengers inside caught the two figures from the corner of his eye. He could've ignored them-they're probably just some lovey-dovey couple making out on the street-but the familiarity of them struck him like Zeus' lightning bolt.

Kaoru smack his face on the glass window and after cursing it for flattening his nose, he recognized the "lovey-dovey couple making-out on the street". Their Asian looks were hard to miss; he knew them even from afar. The brunette short hair and that glinting eyeglasses...

"No, that's not possible," he said out loud.

"What's not possible?" his twin asked, looking at the same direction. Then, Hikaru's eyes popped and the pocky box in his hand slipped. His mouth hung open, revealing a gruesome picture of mutilated pockies.

"Stop the car!" Kaoru shouted. They lurched forward so hard they all fell on the floor.

"Ow!" Tamaki squeaked. "What's wrong with you?!" he snapped. He fell head first and was rubbing a sore spot.

The twins ignored him as they peeked through the small window like Peeping Tom. Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai curiously joined in, too.

"What is it? What is it?" the King excitedly shoved his own head between the twins' and looked at what made his friends agitated. Then he froze.

After processing the image in his head, Tamaki stared like it was the most horrifying thing ever. His best friend Kyouya was kissing _their_ daughter. How incestuous! And it wasn't just that: The fact that they were kissing outside a _hotel_ could've only mean one thing...

Tamaki, being the dumbest blonde on the planet, jumped on the guns and he stormed out of the car before the others could stop him.

"Tono! Tono!"

"Tama-chan, wait!"

They followed him out into the street.

Kyouya was first to notice Tamaki storming his way towards them. His pale face was contorted into comical horror. He was still a few meters away but Kyouya could feel the raging aura pulsating from him.

Then it struck to Kyouya where they currently stood: In front of a hotel, being snuggly-cuddly with Haruhi. Great. Now everyone jumped into the same dirty conclusion.

With an exasperated sigh and reluctance, he stepped back from his clinging girlfriend. Haruhi looked at him with a childish pout.

"We have some visitors," he said. "And I can tell that they are _not_ happy."

Haruhi grimaced, knowing what he meant. She didn't even bother to take a single glance towards the bunch of hosts scampering behind the King. "Well, damn them," she said. And as if hugging in front of their friends wasn't bad enough, she tiptoed and pecked him on the lips. "We're going to burn our bridge anyways, why not do it with some sparks?" She grinned mischievously.

"_Now_ you're sounding like a cold-blooded, calculating woman," he smiled crookedly.

"I've learned from the best," she winked and turned to their petrified friends. She waved at them like everything's perfectly normal and gave them a cheeky grin.

They'd survived the first war and they'll definitely win the next. They're the invincible demon pair, after all.

**:::**

**03/30/13 OWARI**

**:::**

SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:

And that concludes the end of this story. Yes, dudes, it's officially over. *sniff*

As much as I want to continue this story forever, I can't. From conception of ideas for this story, my mind was really set to end it here (the moment Tamaki and the others accidentally saw the couple outside the hotel). An epilogue might be a nice additional chapter but I don't want to make any promises because I had enough epilogue queues that I can't even finish [namely, Keeping Secret and How I Met the Prince] I'm sorry about that. T_T

I'll let your imagination create the scenes where Kyouya and Haruhi reveal their relationship to their friends. Ooohhhh... just by thinking of it makes me laugh! But I'm sorry, I can't put any words for that scene, so I'll leave it to you XD

Hai~! So I just want to scream THANK YOU SO MUCH! I honestly never thought of gaining so many reads and reviews for Spring Petals. I'm not a perfect writer but the support you've given me was unbeatable. For all the time you spent reading this, for patiently waiting for my updates, for understanding my mistakes, the overly cheesiness and OOCness, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

And I know this ending is lacking something but thank you, thank you, thank you!

Until next time, natsu_no_sora signing off.


	12. The Story of Us Part 01

"Right Here Waiting" Revised Edition 2013 © natsu_no_sora

**Ouran High School Host Club 2002 © Hatori Bisco**

I do not own anything. Support the mangaka by buying her works.

* * *

**:::**

**Epilogue: The Story of Us [Part 01]**

**:::**

Ootori Kyouya is famous for being the Low-blood Pressure Demon if a suicidal human decided to wake him up in the wrong time of the day. But contrary to popular belief, he's not _always_ like that. Take that early Monday morning as an example, when a shrill scream echoed from the bathroom.

Now, _that_ was a pretty effective way of pulling Kyouya out of his sleep without activating the demon side.

He was instantly wide awake and within the same second, he was knocking off the bathroom door.

"Haruhi?" he called out.

To his relief, he saw her standing in front of the mirror with all her limbs still attached and no spilled blood anywhere. The look of absolute terror on her face was replaced by blazing anger as she glared at him.

"You..." Haruhi was practically shooting flames from her eyes.

Kyouya blinked. "Me?"

"What did you do?" she seethed dangerously quiet.

"What do you mean?" he frowned. He seriously didn't know what set her nerves on fire this early morning.

Haruhi gritted her teeth. "These, you idiot!" She craned her neck for him to see the multiple small bruises etched all over her skin. It looked so damn visible against her pale complexion.

Kyouya gaped at it for a second and smirked. So it was his little kisses that set her off. "Idiot, am I?" He crossed his arms and leaned on the door frame, completely at ease despite his raging wife.

"Y-you... why did you - why do you have to - ARGH!" Haruhi groaned loudly. "You know I have an important appointment in court today! How am I supposed to hide these freaking hickeys?!"

Kyouya bit his lip to keep himself from laughing. But the deep red blush on her face and the smoke coming out of her ears was just too adorable.

"Stop snickering!" Haruhi aimed a fist on his bare stomach but he quickly caught her wrist and laughed freely. He pulled her in his arms and kissed her cheek. That seemed to placate her a bit. Just a tiny bit.

"Oh, don't be mad. It's just a love bite," he said softly, breathing in the sweet smell of her hair and feeling the gentle curves of her body beneath the bathrobe.

"Just _a_ love bite? You made a whole new community settlement of love bites on my neck!" she snapped, jabbing a punch on his stomach, successfully this time.

Looking at her closely, Kyouya realized he really did a good job of making her neck looked like a hickey colony. "You can conceal them with make-ups, right?" he asked guiltily.

"No amount of concealer can hide these. Are you blind? They're too conspicuous."

She was right; the hickeys were screaming in their dark purple and bright red colors. "Oh," Kyouya paused. "Why don't you wear something to hide them? Like turtle necks," he suggested.

Haruhi gave him an award-winning roll of her milk-chocolate eyes. "Kyouya, _no one_ wears a turtle neck under the blistering summer heat of the sun," she said exasperatedly.

"Well... don't attend your court appointment then," he grinned mischievously. "Let's ditch our work today and stay here all day then let's add up another bunch of love bites on your neck."

Haruhi pinched his cheeks playfully. "Are you insane? I've been waiting this appointment for like, eternity," she said. "I just can't blow it off, you know that," she added seriously.

Kyouya's grin dropped like a kid deprived of candy and sighed, "I know."

"And you also know that I'm going to be late if you don't let go of me."

"Oh. Right... sorry," he took a step back.

Haruhi smiled and walked passed him into their enormous closet. She heard her husband shuffling in the bedroom, muttering something unintelligible. She sighed as she slipped into her black slacks and put on her white long-sleeved polo shirt that hugged her petite figure tight. The hickeys were still visible but at least, her polo shirt wasn't too open; the collar closed off at the base of her throat. She couldn't do anything more about it so after thinking, _Screw it!_ she gave up trying to hide it.

Haruhi fixed her hair, which she kept short, and put on some very light make-up because she doesn't know much how to put them. She chose to wear her comfortable black pumps. Once she was satisfied with her formal looks, she grabbed her bag, snatched a blazer on the rack and walked back into their bedroom.

Kyouya was sitting on the couch, still in his pajamas and no shirt on, his faithful laptop opened on the coffee table. His raven hair was a mess and he didn't have his eyeglasses on. So unlike the Shadow King she'd met back in high school.

He looked up to see Haruhi staring at him. "Like what you see?" he smirked.

Haruhi giggled and shook her head amusedly. "I'm just surprise to see you awake so early in the morning without being shitty."

_Shitty?_ he inwardly chuckled. "Only my wife can have that effect on me," he smiled warmly. He patted the couch, telling her to sit beside him.

Haruhi sat and snuggled up on him, nuzzling and kissing his neck. "I'm still not forgiving you for the hickeys," she muttered.

Kyouya laughed and rubbed her back.

"You are going to pay for it, just you wait," she said darkly.

"Hmm-mmh... okay," he mumbled distractedly as she sensually glided her nose on the line of his jaw. Then stopped abruptly on his chin.

Haruhi pulled away and smiled apologetically, "I've got to go."

"Stay, please?" he whispered, giving her the best puppy-dog eyes in a desperate attempt to keep her from leaving.

"Kyouya, I can't," she chuckled. "This is very important and your father will have my head for breakfast if I don't win this one."

"He won't do that. You know you have him playing around your little fingers. That old man has gotten enamored by your charms and brain. Besides, I'm positively sure you'll win it; you're a badass lawyer," he said as he affectionately brushed her cheeks.

"Why, thank you, Mr. Ootori."

"Anytime." He leaned down to kiss her. She kissed him back eagerly and felt him smiling. Before things got out of hand (which is _always_ likely to happen), Haruhi stood and picked up her things.

"I'll see you later," she said.

"Yeah... later."

She pecked him on the lips once more and disappeared through the door.

And that's pretty much how their lives would start for the past two years of their marriage. Except that Kyouya is usually asleep when she leaves.

As Ootori Yoshio promised, Haruhi now holds the entire Ootori Empire's legal department. She'd gotten used to all the issues inside the corporation and had gotten immune to the old man's unending banter that eventually became their personal bond as father-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Haruhi had known Yoshio for quite some time now to know that he wasn't the heartless, arrogant man he appears to be. She knows how much he cares for the family and for her, as well.

That day, just like every day, they have to get up from their warm snuggle on the bed to go to work. But even though they're busier than the prime minister of Japan, they make sure that they still have time for each other. Take the last night as an example... erm, let's just say they have a very healthy lifestyle.

They had an intense conversation about it and promised that they shouldn't overwork themselves. They promised to have time for each other no matter how busy they are because they want their marriage to last.

So they made a schedule:

Haruhi goes to work on weekdays and she always makes a point to leave hell at six or seven in the evening. Kyouya runs a huge medical facility in Tokyo which is a 24/7 responsibility. But he's the boss; he come and go as he please. He goes to work normally at 11AM (or whatever time he woke up) and leaves at the same time as his wife so he could fetch her in the office. If it's not late, they usually go for a dinner in a fancy restaurant (which Haruhi still despise).

At around noon that day, Haruhi's appointment in court was already done and she was in her office, doing some paper works. Her phone buzzed. She glanced at it and smiled. It was Kyouya.

It is always like that. He would call whenever he feels like it without having anything to say in particular. He would bug her on the phone whenever she refuses to answer due to heavy work. It annoys her but in a way, it makes her smile. It's like he's reminding her that he's always there for her whenever she needs him.

"Hey, what's up?" she greeted cheerfully.

_Hello, wife..._ he dragged the words as he spoke on the other line.

She chuckled, "Hi, husband. Hmmm, I think someone badly needs a dosage of caffeine."

_I think I know that someone,_ he yawned. Waking up early in is definitely _not_ on his priority list. _Have you eaten your lunch?_

"Yes sir, I did. You?"

_I did, too,_ he replied. His sleepy voice is just the sexiest thing ever. Haruhi giggled.

"Aw, my husband is so sleepy," she cooed playfully. "Why don't you just go home and sleep?"

_Don't wanna. You're not there._

Haruhi sighed; he's so childish sometimes. But she loves him anyway.

There was a knock on the door and Renge came in with a huge grin on her face.

Haruhi held up a hand to let her know that she was on the phone. "Sorry, Mr. Ootori but I guess you'll have to fight your drooping eyelids alone. Renge is here with a creepy grin on her face again, I'll see what she wants, okay?" She glanced at her crazy friend and winked.

_Okay. Talk to you later. Love you..._ Kyouya mumbled. He was probably on the verge of falling asleep.

"I know, I love you, too. Go sleep somewhere. Bye!" She shoved the BlackBerry in her pocket and turned to Renge with a bright smile. "How are you, Renge?"

"Haruhi! I'vealreadyfoundtheloveofmylife!" Renge gushed out faster than beat-boxing.

Haruhi resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She nodded almost exasperatedly. _There we go again._ "Renge, that's what you say every time you drop by here."

"But I _am_ absolutely sure that he's the one! I'm telling you, Haruhi!" she blubbered.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," the lawyer muttered. "So who is this _the one_?"

Renge squealed. "He's here! He's here! He's waiting for me in the lobby. I want you to meet him!"

Haruhi groaned mentally. "I have works to do."

"It'll just take two minutes, Attorney! Please?" she practically begged.

"Renge, I don't-"

"Please, please, pretty please?" she fluttered her eyes for effects.

"I don't really see why _I_ need to meet him..." she muttered before snapping, "Fine!"

"Oh! You're the best of the best!"

Renge excitedly skipped to the door and waited for her friend while she fixed her table.

After arranging the documents and shooting trash in the bin, Haruhi stood up with a sigh. But a sudden dizziness struck her and her vision blurred. Everything swirled around her. She clenched her head with a hand while supporting herself with the other on the table.

"Haruhi?" Renge asked worriedly, seeing how she dangerously staggered. She walked back to her and touched her arm. "Are you alright? Does your head hurt?"

Haruhi squeezed her eyes shut. She felt as if she was riding a super-fast merry-go-round. Her stomach churned and she felt nauseated.

"S-sorry, Renge. I think I'm..." her voice faded out as everything fell into darkness.

"HARUHI!" was the last thing she heard before collapsing on Renge.

* * *

Voices murmured around her. Haruhi couldn't make out of what they were saying or who they were.

She cracked open her eyes and gazed at the white ceiling. Where is she? Why is she there? She racked her brain hard, trying to remember why she was currently lying flat on her back when she was supposed to be working.

"Haruhi!" Renge exclaimed. She was sitting beside the bed, a look of bewilderment etched on her face.

"Renge?" She sat up on the bed slowly, assessing herself to see if she could.

"How are you feeling, Haruhi?" a sweet, female voice on the other side of the bed asked.

Haruhi recognized the woman's voice. It was Dr. Sugiyama, the resident doctor in their building's clinic. "I feel perfectly fine, doctor," she frowned.

"Do you remember what happened? You fainted," she informed her. Renge nodded vigorously in agreement.

_Oh,_ she grimaced; she remembered now. But surprisingly, she felt absolutely fine, like she didn't faint at all. "How long was I out?"

"Just for about 15 minutes. Don't you feel dizzy anymore?" Dr. Sugiyama asked, her medical instincts kicking in.

She shook her head slightly, "No. I'm alright now."

"Did you take your lunch?"

"Yes."

"Have you hit your head recently?"

"No."

Dr. Sugiyama nodded thoughtfully. She looked at her with practiced eyes, like she was thinking of a possible disease that Haruhi could've acquired.

"There's nothing wrong with me, is there?" she asked.

"I can't say that for sure, Attorney. You don't seem like you're anemic or anything. You didn't hit your head and you said you've taken your lunch..."

"Maybe it's just stress," she suggested. "Work's been piling up incredibly fast these months."

Then the doctor perked up as if an idea hi-jacked her. "Haruhi, when was your last period?"

**:::**

_To be continued…_

**:::**


	13. The Story of Us Part 02

"Right Here Waiting" Revised Edition 2013 © natsu_no_sora

**Ouran High School Host Club 2002 © Hatori Bisco**

I do not own anything. Support the mangaka by buying her works.

* * *

**:::**

**Epilogue: The Story of Us [Part 02]**

**:::**

_Then the doctor perked up as if an idea hi-jacked her. "Haruhi, when was your last period?"_

Renge gasped. When a conversation with a doctor turns to periods and cycles, every woman on Earth knows what will happen next. "Oh my God!" she whispered, her hand flew up to her mouth. She looked at the frozen form of her friend with bulging eyes.

The question struck Haruhi. She didn't see that one coming. There was a sudden, strong thumping against her chest and her stomach went flipping. She never felt _this_ nervous in her entire life. Not even in her very first hearing in court.

Now that the doctor mentioned it, she realized she had lost track of her period. She swallowed and blinked.

"I... I don't remember," she mumbled.

"Around what time of the month do you usually have your period?"

"Um, around second wee-_oh!_" Haruhi inhaled sharply as it dawned on her that they were already on the first week of September; a month had passed since her last period. Why didn't she notice it?

Haruhi gaped at the doctor like a fish out of water.

Dr. Sugiyama smiled and patted her hand. "I'm going to run some tests on you to make sure, okay?"

"Okay..." she squeaked.

The doctor went out of the room and Renge jumped on the bed. Her eyes twinkling with delight.

"Haruhi, oh my God! What if you're-"

"Shut up, Renge. Please." She looked at her pleadingly. "Don't make me more nervous."

"I'm sorry."

"Let's talk about this later. Does anyone know I'm here?"

Renge shrugged. "Probably your staffs, since they saw you unconscious and being carried here."

"Who carried me?"

"I called my boyfriend, Kei. He brought you here."

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I haven't even met him and I already troubled him of carrying me here," Haruhi shyly said.

"What are you saying?" Renge swatted her arm. "It's totally fine! It was an emergency, don't worry about it."

"Where is he? I want to thank him."

Renge scrunched up her nose. "He received an urgent call from his dad," she sighed and it was pretty much enough for Haruhi to understand.

"Haruhi," Dr. Sugiyama's sweet voice resonated by the door. "Are you ready? Come with me for a moment, please."

Haruhi drew a long breath before swinging her legs off the bed. Renge assisted her and they followed the doctor to her small white office.

"Sit down," Dr. Sugiyama said.

Haruhi complied. The room smelled like sterilized hospital. It made her more nervous. Her heart restarted again with a jolt and she was unconsciously balling her fists tightly.

Renge was biting her lip in the corner, watching her concernedly.

"I'm going to take your blood sample for hCG test," the doctor said. "It's a blood test to determine if you're pregnant or not."

Haruhi gulped. "Can't we just use the more conventional way? The urine test?"

"hCG is more accurate, Attorney. And it can detect pregnancy earlier than urine test, like in your case; you haven't got your period for just a few weeks," she explained as she pulled put a small syringe. She took Haruhi's arm and tied a band around her biceps. "Relax; it's not going to hurt."

But it did. Haruhi felt a sting on the inside of her elbow. She winced slightly. As quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

The doctor pressed cotton on her severed skin and put a band aid to it. She looked so professional doing that stuff. For a brief moment, she wondered if Kyouya ever did something like this to his patients, too.

Haruhi gasped silently. _Kyouya! Oh, damn..._ she mentally palmed her face. How will she explain this to him? What will be his reaction? Are they even ready for this?

"We're done, honey," said Dr. Sugiyama. "I'll send this to the lab right away but the results won't be here for another couple of hours. I'll just give you a call when it arrives. For the mean time, I want you to take the afternoon off. Go get some rest. Don't bury yourself in too much work. It isn't good for the baby, if you're really pregnant."

* * *

"I can't believe this. I really can't believe this." Haruhi muttered for a hundredth as she sipped her milk shake.

Renge sighed. "Haruhi, will you get a grip? It's not like you at all."

"I'm waiting for a call from my doctor that could change my life forever, how do you expect me to get a grip?" Haruhi said incredulously.

"Just calm down, okay? Stop muttering like an asylum patient, it's creeping up on me." Renge pushed a donut to her brunette friend which Haruhi took and nibbled it silently.

They were at the Starbucks across from the office. Renge decided to drag her there to cool off as they waited for the hCG test results. Haruhi kept on fidgeting and mumbling nervously.

"But seriously, what do you think the result is? What's your instinct saying?" Renge urged.

Haruhi bit her lip. "I don't know," she replied. "I mean, how am I supposed to know the feeling of being pregnant? I feel normal. But at the same time, seeing how we're waiting here for the results, I feel... weird."

There was a small fuzzy feeling in her chest. Was it anticipation? Somehow, the possibility of her having a child-_Kyouya's_ child-made her giddy with mixed emotions: Excitement, anxiousness and a hell lot of nervousness.

"It'll be fine," Renge assured her. "If it's positive, then congratulations! You're adding another beautiful creation to the world's population. You're married and it's perfectly normal to have kids. If it's not, then congratulations, too! You're saving yourself from diapers and sleepless nights," she said. "What I'm trying to say is, whatever the result may be, you're going to be fine."

Roasting coffee fragrance and quiet chitchats lingered in the air as silence fell upon them.

"Renge..." Haruhi spoke softly. "What if-what if I really am pregnant?"

"Well, you have to promise me I'll be the godmother," Renge beamed.

Haruhi smiled weakly. Baby. Godmother. Parents. The words seemed to be more meaningful to her now.

"It's kind of hard to process, you know. The idea of having a baby is not unwelcome. Kyouya and I talked about this many times but it's just like that; a casual talk. Not a plan or anything. I'm not sure how he'll take the news-_assuming_ I'm pregnant," she exhaled. "It's quite a lot to take in."

"Oh, I'd like to see his face when you tell him. Ha! That would be epic!" Renge hollered with a slap on the table.

Haruhi laughed half-heartedly. "I bet he'll flip," she agreed.

Just as then, the BlackBerry on the table buzzed. Dr. Sugiyama was calling.

* * *

Anticipation and panic is a dangerous combination. Haruhi should've known.

The moment she walked back in the clinic, she wanted to run away as much as she wanted to hear the result. She felt two forces pulling her arms to the opposite directions.

Dr. Sugiyama was sitting on her rightful place behind the white table. She invited the two women to sit. She had the most mysterious smile in her eyes that made Haruhi want to scream.

Without further ado, the doctor handed her a brown envelope and smile at her encouragingly to open it. Renge nudged her knee when she shot her a look of terror.

With cold hands, Haruhi opened the envelope and stared at the content of the bond paper.

The only word her brain could process was the bold, uppercased letters written in the conclusion of the report: POSITIVE.

* * *

Haruhi was sitting on the couch in her office, staring at the brown envelope on the table like she was expecting it to jump to life and call her "Mommy."

It was already 7:30 in the evening; the law firm had closed hours ago. Renge's boyfriend came to pick her up and after some brief introductions and thank you's, the couple left her alone with tangled thoughts.

She really was pregnant. She was going to be a mother. They were going to be parents. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact. It was so unexpected. Shocking, even. But she felt incredibly _happy._ The small fuzzy feeling in her chest grew bigger and warmer.

Haruhi pulled out her phone and swiped through the pictures in the gallery. Dr. Sugiyama sent her soft copies of the baby's first ultrasound images. The photos didn't make any sense; just a blotch of black and gray. But she was looking at it in awe. Who could've believed the small black dot on the photo is alive inside her? She smiled and put a hand on her flat stomach unconsciously.

"Hey," a voice said out of nowhere.

"Gah!" Haruhi jolted in her sit. She was so startled the phone slipped from her hand and tumbled on the wooden floor. The back case and the battery flew off. She looked at the door and saw Kyouya. He had come to pick her up.

"God, Kyouya..." she huffed, a hand clenching her pounding chest. She breathed hard. "Don't you _ever_ do that to me again."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he smiled apologetically. He took the shattered pieces of the phone, fixed it and handed it back to her. "Here, it's still working."

"Thanks," she mumbled and put it back in her pocket.

Kyouya sat beside her and kissed her, like he always does after a long hard day of work. "Did something happen? You look a little pale," he noticed as he brushed his thumb on her cheek.

_Nobody called him when I fainted. Good,_ Haruhi thought in relief. She couldn't look him in the eye so she rested her head on his shoulder to hide her face.

"Nothing much," she answered softly. She was lying. And she felt bad about it. But she just couldn't bring herself to say it to him. Not yet.

"Do you want to eat somewhere? Or do you want to go home?" he asked.

"Home, please," she whispered hoarsely.

"Are you sick?" He pulled back and cupped her face. The funny crease between his eyebrows whenever he's worried was present again. He started feeling her temperature on her forehead and neck.

"No, no," she shook her head. "I'm just tired."

"Are you sure?"

_Oh, for heaven's sake, Kyouya! I know you're a goddamn doctor but can you stop looking at me like that?_ Haruhi whimpered. "Let's just go home, please?"

"Okay, okay," he sighed. He reached for her bag on the table. As he pulled it, the brown envelope fell on the floor. With a sudden rush of adrenaline, Haruhi snatched it faster than a magician could.

"What's that?" Kyouya asked, weaving his fingers through hers.

"Nothing!" she answered too quickly. "I mean it's just another case I need to study," she blubbered. She's an excellent lawyer but when it comes to Kyouya, she sucks at lying.

Her husband looked at her skeptically. Her hands were turning cold and she refused to look at him. He knew something was up and she wasn't telling him. He wanted to pry it out of her but anxious look on her face made him bit back his tongue.

They walked out of the darkened office to the elevator. They zipped down smoothly since no one else was in the building to interrupt the ride. It stopped at the basement where the car park is.

The black Audi chirped as Kyouya turned off the alarms. He held the door open for her, tossed her bag on the backseat and let himself in the driver's side.

The ride home was unusually quiet. Haruhi always fires up a conversation with him about all the things she'd done that day. She would talked about stupid this and stupid that. It was a routine. But apparently, his wife wasn't in the mood to blubber.

Kyouya kept glancing to her while he drove. She looked out the window, chewing her lip like she was thinking really hard and gripping the brown envelope so tightly her knuckles went white.

When they arrived in their mansion (a wedding gift from over-the-top bastard, Ootori Yoshio), Haruhi quickly hid the envelope in her study, along with all the important documents she needed. She then joined Kyouya in their bedroom.

This morning, she left this room worrying about the hickeys on her neck. Now she came back worrying about how to tell her husband that she's pregnant without giving him a heart attack.

She saw Kyouya talking over the phone, looking out the window and sounding all cold and business-like. She quietly went in the closet, changed into decent-looking, comfy shorts and grabbed a random shirt. Since she didn't bother to turn on the lights, she guessed the shirt was Kyouya's; it was too big for her. But she didn't care.

When she re-entered the bedroom, Kyouya was sitting on couch with eyes closed; his glasses on the table. She curled up beside him and instantly, she felt his arm slithered around her.

He opened his eyes and stared. "You're wearing my shirt again."

She shrugged nonchalantly.

Kyouya chuckled and kissed her hair. "How was your day?" he casually asked. But for some reason, he felt her stiffen.

"Um," Haruhi fumbled her thoughts to think of something to say. "It was great," she said lamely.

"You are such a terrible liar, you know that?" Kyouya said, narrowing his eyes.

She didn't say anything. She exhaled and snuggled closer to him.

"Tell me what's wrong," he urged softly.

"Nothing's wrong, really."

"Is my father pressuring you again?"

"No, no. It's not that. Your father has got nothing to do with this," she quickly said. "It's got nothing to do with work."

"Then what is it?"

Haruhi bit her lip as her heart thumped. She couldn't say anything yet. She was still overwhelmed by the news. She needed to calm herself first before she could tell him.

"Talk to me, Haruhi, please," Kyouya said; getting more and more frustrated by the minute. And he never _pleads_ unless he was dying to know.

"Everything's fine, Kyouya. Don't worry, okay? We'll talk about this later, I promise," she said seriously as she looked into his eyes. Then she smiled and climbed off the couch. "For the mean time, I'm hungry. I wonder what they cooked."

Kyouya sighed in defeat and stood as well. There's no way to get her talking once she decided to keep her mouth shut. He'd learned that after two years of marriage.

The couple went to the dining room. But as soon as the smell of food reached Haruhi's nose, she almost gagged. It smelled so awful it made her want to vomit.

She held her breath and tried to talk normally. "On a second thought, I'm not so hungry anymore. I'll be in the bedroom!" Then she ran upstairs like there's no tomorrow.

"Hey!" Kyouya called and followed her, confused by her sudden actions.

He found her lying on the bed with eyes tightly closed. Her eyebrows furrowed in a grimace. He sat on the bed and brushed her hair off her face.

"Haruhi..." he said gently. "Come on, tell me what's wrong with you. You're starting to scare me."

He's a freaking doctor who has seen a lot of worst case scenario in the hospital and doesn't even cringe. But one pained wince from his wife and he panicked.

"I feel sick," she mumbled.

"What?" He put a hand on her forehead worriedly. "You're not running a fever..."

"I'm dizzy. Can you turn off the lights?"

Kyouya reached over the table for the light remote to turn it off and lowered the lamps to dim. "I'll get some medicines for you." He stood but Haruhi caught his hand.

"No, I hate medicines. Just stay with me," she whispered. Haruhi doesn't really hate medicines, she was just worried that it might harm her baby.

"But Haruhi-"

"Please?"

"You need it."

"I'll take some sleep and it'll go away. Trust me. Just stay with me, please?"

Kyouya ran his fingers through his hair and sighed exasperatedly. Having a lawyer as a wife has some disadvantages, especially once she use her face and voice as weapons.

He lay beside her. Haruhi tucked herself in his arms. It was a very astonishing day, she didn't realize how tired she was until her husband patted her back in a soothing way. She dozed off almost instantly.

Kyouya was left wide awake and watching her sleep, wondering what the hell's going on.

* * *

Haruhi woke up the next morning, alone in the bed. She frowned; where's Kyouya? Then she heard the shower in the bathroom. She sat up and her eyes widened at the clock. For the first time in history, she was two hours late for work and for the second time since they were in Boston, Kyouya woke up earlier than her.

But that didn't matter; she got an important mission to execute today.

An idea played in her mind as she looked cautiously at the door like she was expecting it to explode. She staggered out of bed and grabbed her phone. If she didn't have the guts to say it to his face, she's going to show it.

She browsed through the pictures and found the ultrasound images. She mailed it to Kyouya and when his phone buzzed on the night table, her heart felt like bursting.

The shower stopped in the bathroom. Kyouya's going out any second now. Haruhi felt a tingling excitement down her spine as she frantically looked around, finding somewhere to hide. Finally, she ran to the closet.

Kyouya stepped out, feeling refreshed from the cold shower. He had a towel on his head as he dried his hair and only a black pair of sweatpants on. Beads of water droplets still clung on his chest and shoulders. He looked so much like the Shadow King in the beach house from so long ago.

He noticed the crumpled bed and frowned. _Maybe she's downstairs,_ he shrugged.

Out of habit, he took his phone and check for messages. There was one lone email.

From Haruhi.

His frown deepened as curiosity spiked up. He opened it. The screen showed an image of black and gray abstract. There were no captions or anything.

He held the phone close to his face. Even though he was wearing his eyeglasses, he still has to squint to make some sense to the picture. The abstract looked familiar. He was sure he'd seen a couple of those in the hospital.

Then he widened his eyes. A sinking feeling suddenly pulled at his heart as realization slapped him hard.

_Now_ it made sense. He was staring at an ultrasound image and he perfectly knows which is which.

And that small, black dot in the middle was as easy to recognize as he could tell the sky is blue.

And the picture came from _his wife._

And it could only mean one thing.

Kyouya blinked, an emotion he didn't know how to describe bubbled inside him. A huge grin threatening to spread across his face. Everything came to pieces now: Haruhi's quietness last night and the sudden dizziness...

A shuffling noise from the closet made him turned his head. He caught the peeking eyes of Haruhi from the inside and heard her small gasp as she hid back again when their eyes met.

Kyouya chuckled and walked over to the closet. He opened the door and smirked. He found Haruhi standing in front of him, biting her lip and sweating.

"Why are you hiding here?" he asked amusedly.

"I'm not hiding," she tried to deny. She was blushing and looking everywhere but him.

"Haruhi..." he spoke, waving the phone to her. "This isn't just a payback for the hickeys, is it?" he asked nice and slow.

Haruhi shook her head. She looked at him, bracing for his reaction. But when Kyouya broke into a very unKyouya-like wide grin, she felt like sagging in relief.

It wasn't bad. Not bad at all. Like what her hyperactive brain expected.

Kyouya's eyes lightened up like she'd never seen before. Not even on the day she said 'yes' when he proposed to her. It was like seeing him on a whole new different level.

He took a step forward and engulfed her in a choking bear hug. He was laughing and he wasn't even drunk.

"Can't... breathe, Kyouya!" she gasped.

He stopped squeezing her and stared into her face, ignoring her short breathing. Apparently, he was too excited.

"Is this for real?" he asked.

She nodded, keeping a straight face. But her lips involuntarily tugged at the sight of her husband's delighted face.

"Are you really?"

She nodded again.

"That's... amazing," he said in awe.

"Totally," she agreed. She cupped his cheeks and smiled radiantly. "We're going to be parents," she whispered.

Kyouya nodded; the smile he was flashing must've hurt his cheeks. "When did you know?"

"Yesterday. Um, right after you call."

"How?"

"I sort of collapsed into Renge. She and her boyfriend-new boyfriend, I might add-brought me to the clinic. I'm surprised no one called you. But I'm glad they didn't," she chuckled. But Kyouya frowned disapprovingly. "Dr. Sugiyama ran an hCG test on me."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because I was so nervous to tell you."

"Why would you be nervous?" he asked softly as he tamed her morning hair.

Haruhi thought for a second. Yeah, why was she nervous? "I-I don't know. Maybe I was afraid of what your reaction would be."

"Why?"

"Oh God, will you stop asking already? It doesn't matter now. I'm pregnant and there, I've said! Do I have to explain more?" Haruhi snapped.

Kyouya stared at her. "Mood swings already?" he chuckled.

"What?"

"Nothing," he pulled her close and kissed her forehead, "You're going to be a great mom."

Haruhi hugged him and said, "And you're going to be the greatest dad ever."

He smiled gratefully and kissed her with all the burning passion he could gather from every particle of his being.

After that, they pretty much spent the whole day in their bed, talking about the small black dot from the image like he's (or she's) already walking on the planet.

Which brought Kyouya into writing a one-mile long list of do's and don'ts for his wife, leaving Haruhi to wonder if it was really such a good idea that she told him she's pregnant.

"You shouldn't stress yourself so working isn't good for you. You should stay here at home."

"But I can't just leave-"

"You must never skip meals and eat a lot of fruits."

"I know but about the work, I can't-"

"Staying up late is bad for your health so no more case study at night."

"What? But that's-"

"I'll schedule a check-up on you tomorrow in our hospital."

Haruhi realized there was no winning against him. She sighed dejectedly and muttered, "Whatever you say, Your Highness."

She could only shook her head in amusement. _I probably shouldn't have said anything._

**:::**

**04/13/13 1:56**

**OWARI**

**:::**

SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:

*sigh* You'll never really know when will your wild imagination strike. One quiet afternoon, there I was, sitting in front of our window overlooking the river, craving for some fluffy-cuddly-snuggly KyoHaru fic... when an idea dropped on my head like a bird's poop.

I didn't expect this but hey, shit happens. So there you go, a two-part epilogue for Spring Petals! I broke it into two because it'll be too long to put in one chapter and because I wanted some cliff-hanger, mwuahahaha! But I'm sure you already knew what happened.

Thank you for sticking with me till here. I hope I'll see you again in my next story, bye bye!

_natsu_no_sora xxx_

**PS:** I've read a review saying that I should've posted this as a new story because it's confusing to tag this to the old story and it seems that I'm cheating on reviews or something... which is so untrue.

Though it means so much to me, it's not like I'm begging my readers to review every time I update. Please go back to my previous notes, did I ever ask for reviews? I'm too imperfect to demand such wonderful reviews from them. I just wanted my readers to continue to _support_ my story and it does not necessarily be a review. The views and visitors in my story stat are enough for me to know that someone out there reads my crappy story.

I'm not just after the reviews, I'm after the exhilarating feeling of self-satisfaction whenever I fulfill what I want the most: To write. I'm sorry but my stories aren't just for the sake of my readers, it's mostly for the sake of my sanity, hehe!

Besides, this isn't a new story. Just like what it says in the title: EPILOGUE. Yes, this can be a stand-alone story but there are some mentions here that came from the previous chapters.

Thank you... especially sa mga Filipinong nagbasa. Maraming salamat! :)


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